Web of the Heart
by Radiklement
Summary: Somewhere in-between all the fighting and the losses, Ignis realized he'd lost more than just his eyesight. He lost a brother, he lost what was left of his family and he lost what made him Ignis Scientia. But admist the chaos, he found himself tangled with Aranea Highwind, who always ended up back on his path somehow. Until they found a new path together. Fluff overdose of Ignea
1. Chapter 1

I had been turning around a story in my head for quite some time, a story revolving solely on Ignis and Aranea. And I started this one thinking it would be a one shot. This one shot now has around 39 pages (and it's not over), so it's going to be a short collection of chapters instead. It's a slice of life, mostly, about Ignea and a way they could have meet and live through the ten years crystal sleep. It focuses a lot on Ignis and him adapting to being blind, but it's full of fluff. I rate it M to give me a chance, although the few smuttier scenes are pretty soft. I hope you'll enjoy this one!

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Web of the heart

Chapter 1 - Without strings

Ignis could face saberstusks, eternal night and the prospect of his own death without flinching. But when it came to Aranea Highwind, he was a total mess. Losing his sight had been terrifying, but nothing close to what losing Noctis had felt like. His life barely made sense without his prince and friend, but the dragoon came along, bringing with her the feelings held back from that time in Steyliff grove, when they had gotten stuck for two days and three full nights in this maze of falling bridges and damp, slippery stones.

Noctis and Prompto had ended up on their own after a giant daemon struck the floor and sent the advisor and mercenary to one side, the prince and the gunman to the other. Regrouping had been a nightmare. The humidity had ruined half their phones, the signal was inexistent thanks to the depths and the darkness threatened to swallow them whole.

Ignis clearly remembered catching her when she'd slipped, pulling her back too hard as he'd notice the hole in the floor, losing his own footing and driving her against the nearest wall for balance. Her armor digging into him, her chest rising just a tad too quickly under his arm, the way his other arm was hooked around her uncomfortably, and her hands gripping to his shirt, stabilizing him. They'd slept a bit, taking turns, but neither of them wanted to stay in the same place for too long, considering the daemons that could pop out of thin air at any moment and the fact they really needed two people to take them out. He was too tired to think straight, too confused and worried, but still finding it in him to look out for the damsel on the team.

"Ignis… Can you answer one question?"

"That's quite the conundrum, since you just asked me one question," he retorted cheekily.

She didn't smile, her hands fisting the fabric of his shirt, keeping him close to her as they both slowly looked for their breath. Their anxiety was slowly rising, and the polite distance had been dropped after the first 12 hours of looking out for each other's back. They were comrades now and while he barely knew her, Ignis had the sentiment he would grow mad if she was to die here.

"If you knew you were about to die, what would be the last thing you'd want to do?"

"We are not going to…"

"Humor me, Scientia. What does a stuck-up guy like you…?"

Her jab didn't anger him as much as it had riled him up. It might have been the closeness, or the need for human contact, or the fact her silver hair and stormy eyes had been stuck in his head since the very first fight against her. There was no chance for anything long term here. Not with someone who was loyal only to money. But for once, he just needed to feel alive. Ignis caved in to instinct, lifting her chin with one hand, his eyes asking her permission for a few seconds. He kissed her, tasting sweat and dry blood on her lips. It was rough but warm and he forgot the danger as her hands slipped up his neck. She was so small despite the armor, despite the high-eels of her boots, he had to bend his neck and lean down. He had half a mind to push his body against her, to hook her legs around his waist and linger until his reason would come back to life.

She swore out loud when he finally pulled back from her.

"Well, that's a side of you I hadn't expected, Scientia."

"What's your goal here, Highwind?"

"If you're going to push me against a wall, I'd rather enjoy most of it."

Their exchange was cut short by a daemon and later in the day, Aranea admitted the closed off spaces and caving floors and walls was getting to her. Just a comfort thing. Ignis had wondered if she'd indulge in comfort if she'd ended up with Prompto or Noctis but didn't dare ask her. On the second night, they'd abandoned any sense of propriety, snuggling close to keep each other from freezing over. She would sit in his lap after taking off her shoulder pads and pointy gloves, slipping her hands and even her arms inside his jacket as they shivered against each other, teeth clattering. His hands instinctively touched the exposed skin of her stomach, stroking her arms and back, and even her sides if she asked for it. Their combined supplies were thinning and clinging on to one another helped. On the third night, they were famished, but warmer, having found a flight of stairs that were mostly intact and managed their way up to drier stones.

Ignis found himself wanting more than warmth and tested the waters, not sure if he was thinking straight anymore. But she didn't push away the hands sneaking up her shirt, his long fingers drawing shivers from her.

"I should tell you to save your strength," she observed. "Or to use that flask you're hiding in your jacket to break down a couple of walls and lead us out of this darn place."

"That flask can't take out walls. It's a healing spell."

"What are your hands telling me, Scientia?"

"That I'm losing my mind."

"You should loosen your belt first, silly man. If we do this, I don't want you distracted. We need to keep an eye on our surroundings."

Her suggestion meant a weird, unnatural position, because Ignis, while not collecting conquests like Gladiolus, had some experience -just not of the kind he couldn't easily kiss the woman in his arms or move like he intended to-. It was hard to tell which of them noticed the flashlight in the distance first or if it was only a reflect of the light, a subconscious impression of shame… They'd parted before finding relief, sharing mere pants and light tremors of pleasure throughout the discomfort of wet clothes, uncompromising leather pants and the dirt on them both. Meeting up with Noctis and Prompto a few hours later, the strange adventure had left a bitter taste in Ignis's mind.

Then there had been Quezacoatlz and the sparks that seemed so easy to create between them had sputtered out, the mercenary leaving without a second look. A comfort thing it had been, nothing but a comfort thing and Ignis accepted to live with that, even though it was distressing thinking he could settle for something so basic.

His dreams nagged him and while he wouldn't admit it, he wondered about the dragoon lady and whether she'd found someone else's arms for comfort. Or was she thinking of him too? Wondering if that comfort thing couldn't have been any more comfortable.

Altissia happened before Ignis could straighten his thoughts, the ordeal stripping him of most of his confidence, a good part of his dignity and his entire eyesight.

Shuffling around in the dark, Ignis found himself wishing for the support of someone else than his friends, maybe just her hand on his arm, or her head on his chest as he sat in his camping chair. He remembered her fingers on his thighs, the way she'd sown up a cut on his arm when they'd run out of potions, the endless teasing and bantering and the way she breathed when she fell asleep. He wasn't sure he wanted to meet with her, but those memories reminded him that he didn't only amount to Noctis and his royal line. Because now he knew what waited for his prince and he was struggling to put one foot in front of the other knowing every step of the way meant bringing his friend, his brother a little closer to his death.

Crossing the mines and getting attacked on the train had been nerve-wrecking. His body was lost in all the dark space around him, the sounds and environment were foreign, he felt clumsy and inept, a shadow of himself. Gladiolus's excessive worrying was only getting on his nerves and Noctis was hurting too deep to fully realize what his advisor was going through. Not that Ignis minded. The less people showed him sympathy, the faster he would get over himself and back on his feet. But losing Prompto was a low blow, because the gunman's genuine desire to help was the one thing he looked forward to and now that was also gone. Not only blind now, he had to go guideless, almost friendless considering how both Noctis and Gladio were wallowing in their own pain.

Little to say, meeting Aranea in Tenebrae had been a shock, recognizing the sound of her boots on the ground and then her voice.

"What did you do to your eyes? Can you see anything?"

 _Permanent damage, permanent damage, no way this guy can hold you up against a wall now, I can barely locate walls._

They stayed for the night, Gladiolus hitting the bars, Noctis needing time alone, surely sitting down in the sylleblossums with Umbra and remembering the princess he would never hold. Ignis sat on a bench further away, trying to enjoy the night air and these new foreign sounds. A few people talked about his scars. He could imagine children pointing at him and wondered if his clothes were mismatched or not.

"Mind if I join you?" a voice asked him, making him jump ever so slightly.

How come he hadn't heard her walking up to him?

Realizing her mistake, she started apologizing, only to be cut off by the advisor.

"Have a seat, Aranea."

Her name sounded strange on his tongue and he realized with a start it was the first time he'd used it.

"Your voice is good," she commented.

He furrowed his brows, trying to angle his head toward her and not sure he was leaning the right way for their eyes to meet. He hated how uncivil his handicap made him, he hated not being able to detail the look on her face. The way her lips twitch as she held back a smile or a sigh. The little line between her eyebrows and the glint of the moon in her hair.

"For a blind man I mean. Your voice hasn't changed. And you sit just as straight as ever. Those burns look like they hurt."

His throat felt too small and he wondered why she would even sit with him, considering how quickly she'd run.

"You don't have to be nice with me," he told her.

"If it's free of charge, you don't want it?"

Her question surprised him once again, but not as much as the feel of her breath in his ear as she leaned closer. His body almost recoiled, but he stilled himself, willing his limbs to remain motionless.

"Can you really hold on for the rest of the prince's ordeals with the state you're in?"

His eye blinked and he winced as his melted eyelid pulled on the skin. He still had to fight against the reflex and the few muscles still working made the pain last without end. Was she going to shatter what little pride he had left?

Her hand touched his knee, in a gesture that felt familiar and not as threatening as her words.

"The nights are growing longer. Think we will get interrupted this time?"

He should have said no, he was in no state to receive any of her comfort, he would break in her arms and wake up lost and alone when he needed to hold on just as long as Noctis needed his support.

"What are you looking for? Never had sex with a blind man?"

His own bitterness surprised him and Aranea let out a short sigh.

"While it is true, I have never slept with a blind man, I'm not working on a pity case. I've seen enough people dying to tell your prince is our only chance. I don't have the heart to beat sense into the big guy, but I think I can lift your spirits somehow. I can be your comfort or your outlet for tonight. And… I could use strong arms around me for a few hours. Unless you tell me you didn't only lose your sight."

It was a very clumsy attempt at humor and Ignis held back a grimace, raising one hand which slowly found hers.

"More comfort? How many guys get that excuse from you?"

"Only the pretty ones."

His eye kept blinking as he followed her to her airship and her bunk bed. The mattress was relocated to the floor and Aranea proved to be fierce with him, testing his limits, making sure he wouldn't feel pity from her. Instead, he felt passion and impatience and something tender too underneath, because this time, she let him explore her to his heart content, and somehow, the fact he couldn't see her made him a much more attentive lover.

Raw with sensations, starved for caresses and kisses and all the gasps and moans she could utter, Ignis realized just how much he'd missed her. He doubted any woman could have make him feel that way. There was a strange connection, something that went beyond words or rules when it came to Aranea. She was rash and restless, but she complimented more than she clashed with him. Her hands on him felt right, be it on his waist, down his back, squeezing or stroking or making him pant until he was a shuddering mess of nerves and desire. She didn't seem to have any limits, while he always limited himself, straining himself until he reached a standard or to maintain it, but never breaking his unspoken rules.

Ignis never screamed, but Aranea brought out sounds of him, sounds he'd never uttered in his life. When she took control, her roughness faded into something soft, as though she was afraid of breaking something between them. He pleaded for his name on her lips and when she started using it, it seemed she couldn't stop her voice.

Why did he feel something so deep inside as they moved and did their best to keep the sun away for just a little more of each other? How could it feel so right when he barely knew her past, only remembered the food she liked from the rations they used, when he remembered the smell of her sweat and blood better than the feel of her clean skin against his?

 _You're blind, the sensations are heightened by it, you never got to taste her for real before, it could be anyone, anyone… But I want her, I want her, no one else would do, no, remember this won't last, can anything last with a woman like her?_

In between the kisses and the shuffling of skin and desperate rushes of lust, Ignis found himself talking to her, stroking her hair, reaching for her hands, and the greatest part of all, Aranea answered him.

She told him of how surreal Tenebrae looked, describing the sights he would never see, the floating islands, the mist and the clouds and the trees. She told him of the calm before the storm, of the wind and cold lands of Nifelheim, of the training that killed most of the recruits, of the books she used to read as a teenager. And she had questions for him, what were the reasons for this scar on his ribs, what food did he miss the most, if he wanted to learn Braille, if he knew any songs by heart and if so, why?

It was a strange way to discover each other, but Aranea wasn't used to traditional relationships, not after being raised in a military camp, between soldiers, seeing daemons in her ranks, losing friends to the blight and slowly hardening her heart to the mess that it was today.

Ignis didn't dare to ask how many men had held her. But he did wonder why she asked him so many questions now, to which she retorted. "I always knew you were interesting. I'm confirming it."

In the morning, he wasn't broken, but he wasn't fully himself either, because a soft and warm body was pressed against his and a part of him wondered how good it could feel to wake up this way every single day. But it had been a comfort thing yet, pretending otherwise was refusing to look at the reality and while blind, Ignis wanted to stay grounded. He gathered his clothes and managed to pull on his shirt and pants before to feel her hands on his shoulders.

"Alright, Scientia. This was one of the best nights of my life. And if the sun never comes back… I do hope you'll do, at the very least."

"To make sure this wasn't a one-time performance?" he retorted cockily.

She punched him in the shoulder, hard enough to hurt, and he couldn't express how grateful he was for this limit she set.

"So, you don't like nice girls either, huh?"

"What?"

"I'm trying to determine your type."

Ignis hadn't expected vulnerability from her and instinctively wrapped his arms around her, laying her back on the mattress for a mind-shattering kiss.

"What type are you?" he asked her, not sure how dangerous that question might be.

"The type who doesn't know when to quit. You're going to get late if you don't hurry."

It was far from a confession or a promise, but could Ignis even think something like "like" could be addressed with how they had gotten here? He was grateful for the brief moments of clarity he'd shared with her, for the roller coasters of sensations and the illusion he was held back by someone he might not lose. But she was Aranea Highwind. Fleeting like the wind, too strong to tame, as calculative as him when it came to open up. He knew more than he once did, but was it enough to even hope for something more?

"When I come back…" he turned hesitant at that, and Aranea pushed against his shoulders with her hands, her knees raising to push on his hips.

"Start by leaving and don't go making promises you can't keep. We can talk when you do come back. If you can find me that is."

Ignis wanted to ask her where she would go, but Noctis was calling for him by then and his sense of duty was stronger than his sense of adventure.

…

Coming back from Nifelheim with Prompto and Gladiolus had been a nightmare. By the time they finally reached civilization, Ignis had honed his fighting skills and could kill the smallest daemons despite being blind. He could also kill the voices in the back of his mind, telling him that Noctis might not come back and even if he did, the trip back to Lucis would destroy him. Hearing Prompto being hopeful and voicing hope to support him was torture.

 _Even if it's just for a day or a week, he will need you,_ he reminded himself.

Finding Aranea took time, almost a year in fact, because she kept herself busy and Ignis was training to be considered a full hunter, missing her passage in Lestallum more than a few times. When they finally met, she shocked him once more by grabbing him by the collar without so much as a "hello" and dragging him to the nearest bar. They sat and drank and talked for hours. In fact, they talked so late into the night they were nearly kicked out of the place along the drunk patrons.

It took a week before Aranea even invited him to her hotel room, and this time, Ignis decided he needed things cleared up between them. He still followed her into the room and waited until the door was locked, leaning his back against the hard surface.

"Are we really going to remain… friends with benefits?"

He noticed how the sound of her breathing changed at that, he could almost taste the new tension in her. But her voice was cool and perfectly controlled when she pointed out, "We started out as comrades in arms with benefits. And don't go believing I'd part my legs for just any guy."

He winced and Aranea snorted, making him wonder what her face could be looking like

"Don't make that face," she warned him, "you were fine with comfort back in Tenebrae. And I'm not looking for a charity case, I just… know I'm too much of a hassle for something more complicated than… whatever is going on between us…"

Ignis frowned at that.

"If we can't even put a name on it, I think we need to talk things out."

The world was in shambles, but it didn't mean their whole life had to be that way too. Aranea's silence made him wonder if he wasn't going to lose what little connection they had, but after a whole minute of pondering, she accepted and invited him to sit on the bed with her.

She didn't describe the room for him to better walk around it, but he followed the sound of her breathing, one hand finding her shoulder without trouble and as he sat, she brushed his thigh through the fabric of his pants, as though she didn't know how else to welcome him.

"The sex and the cuddling are good," she started, making him chuckle weakly.

"And your dry wit never ceases to amaze me. But I'm back now. I'm blind and my cooking still needs some refining before fitting with any of my standards. A lot of things might never be what they used to be again if I'm honest with myself."

"Ignis, you don't have a monopoly on being broken. You've felt my scars. If you'd seen me as a teenage girl, I don't think you would have recognized me today."

Her voice sounded so dark and Ignis squeezed her hand, feeling protective and sorry for things he couldn't change. He remembered asking about a few of her scars and the shuddering "no" that made him understand how fragile she could be beneath her armor. He'd mapped her body in his head, from her head to her toes, the virgin skin and each irregularity that made her unique. His memory wasn't quite sure, because one night wasn't enough for a trustworthy map, no matter how much he'd hold on to the touches he remembered. The scars that crisscrossed her lower back. The marks on her ankles. The bumps hiding under her hair, outlining one ear and one or two intrusive surgeries.

"You don't have to tell me everything," he told her.

"But if I let you in, how long until you insist on knowing?"

"I might insist on a lot of things, but not that."

 _Not when there are so many things about myself I can barely share._

Like what wearing the ring did to him. Why he even did it in the first place and the visions of the future, the nightmares where the Chancellor killed Noctis, over and over and the reason why he would wake up gasping and kicking off his sheets in a cold sweat. The lone nights studying until he'd fall asleep on his books in Insomnia, his pathetic attempts at a love life, resulting too often in disappointment because his duty and his work took all his time…

That thought made him wonder if he wasn't looking for a new obligation. Something to replace the duty and work he'd lost when Noctis stepped into that damn crystal.

"Eos to Ignis," Aranea told him. "Am I that boring you need to rush deep inside your mind?"

"I'm sorry, I… I think too much."

The admission hurt him, because he used to believe one person could never think too much.

"Didn't I tell you those very words in my airship?"

"I think you did back in Steyliff grove too."

She stiffened at that, which surprised him.

"It was a strange way to begin, wasn't it? I don't usually throw myself at strangers."

"And I don't tackle girls to cave walls to kiss them senseless," he told her. "We were both on edge."

"Do you think that will ever stop?" Aranea asked him.

With the way their world was working right now, or not fully working, it was doubtful.

"Does it matter? We're not trapped in a dark ruin at least."

Her sad laugh and the way her fingers brushed the star-shaped scar on his face made it hard to breathe. He wasn't over it yet, it was hard to tell if he could ever be fully over it.

"What do you want from me, Ignis?"

"I'm not sure yet. What would you want?"

Turning his face toward her was nerve-wrecking, because while still having a sense of self, he was starting to forget what his expressions might look like. Not seeing anything gave him the false impression people couldn't see him, and that illusion made him feel more exposed than he'd ever been. He didn't know what his smile looked like, didn't know whether his face let out more than he was ready to show.

"The men who got that far with me weren't really interested in what I wanted," she confessed, her voice a bit higher than her usual. "And I don't do dates or… normal."

"Well, that last part is good to hear. I suck at dates. We could devise something that fit for us instead. Homemade dinner and long talks with wine."

She mmmmd her approval, blinking too fast as she realized how easy it was to picture herself with him. Not for rushed physical comfort, although that would have to be a bonus, because they fit too well together.

"I sure like talking with you. Even with the bad puns," she paused, before tugging on his shoulder and adding on a lower tone, with a hint of vulnerability. "Lie down with me?"

He was happy to oblige.

"You've yet to tell me what you want," Ignis insisted.

"Exclusive access to your ass," she declared, laughing as he gasped at her bold phrasing. "Let me say it less crudely, Scientia. I think I'd like… a few nights of your week. And mornings where we can sleep in."

"That's easy…"

"That's where you're wrong. We're still going to leave on hunts and fight daemons and the rare imperial patrols dropping here and there. And if I invest myself any more, I doubt I can…"

Her right hand turned into a fist against his chest and he held her closer, as though he could hide her and protect her from all the hurt and losses she was holding back. He wanted to tell her he wouldn't die until Noctis came back but was too afraid of the potential questions. He'd been faced with them a few times already and he still lacked the answers he needed back then.

If you were to choose between the prince and I, it would be him, wouldn't it? You'd rather keep your duty than your heart.

 _My duty is my heart. And now it's a gaping void, threatening to devour me as I wait and despair…_

"What else, Aranea?"

"I'll need time. If you insist too much, I might grow greedy."

But he'd already sensed how she refused to be indebted to anyone. How she played fair, be it on the battlefield, when she dealt a new contract or when their bodies mixed. On impulse, he kissed her jaw, her hair and let her voice guide his lips and fingers as he looked for the familiar shivers and those hands reaching for him.

Even in his never-ending darkness, where sounds, smells and touches were hints and threats, Aranea had a way of giving him everything he craved. She was gentle and rough, she made him feel like a whole man, not just a shadow of the one he used to be.

"Iggy…!"

The nickname almost made him weep as they came undone together. And thus begun their waltz around each other. It was hard to find a balance, because while they comforted each other, Ignis felt cemented to his friends and Aranea needed space. He stayed over her place two nights a week, than three, and while Lestallum's population was overtaxing the city, they slowly accepted to live together, in between the hunts and the few missions Cor gave her. When Gladiolus finally understood what was going on, much to Ignis' surprise, he congratulated him, while Prompto asked how he'd miss it with shock in his voice.

His friends' instant support and the fact they didn't resent him for having something they didn't themselves meant the world to him. He felt awful whenever he wondered what Noctis's reaction could be, considering he had lost Lunafreya in such awful circumstances. Would he see it as a treason from his oldest friend? Was he simply trying to replace his duty and the missing parts of his heart with someone that made him feel useful? No, that would be plain wrong, and he didn't want to undermine all that Aranea meant to him. The initial crush and desperate chemistry had shifted to full affection, and after four months living with her, Ignis knew his heart was gone once more. He'd never felt so at home before, or that twitch of worry if she came a few days later from a mission. Not to mention the relief whenever he could simply be around her.

Aranea was quick to point out what a good influence she was on him.

"Why? Because you're making me selfish?"

"Precisely."

Among their activities, Ignis and Aranea had taken cooking, training, hunting and scavenging. The cooking was nice, Ignis teaching her most of his recipes and finding a few tricks as to cook on his own and not only with someone's supervision. The time it took for something to roast, the scents and sounds helped and while Aranea wasn't the most organized woman, she did respect his need for perfect order in their small kitchen.

"I couldn't find garlic this time," she explained, an apology in her voice, despite how much she tried to sound casual.

Ignis mentally went over the spices he had left. Supplies and resources were growing rarer every week. The market had shrunk down and soon, rations would be handed over to every resident. Currencies might plummet, and it had only been one and a half years since Noctis had entered his crystal sleep as Prompto had started calling it.

It was a nightmare for the jurisdiction and Monica wanted Ignis sitting on the council on a weekly basis now. The weight of that responsibility scared him. Gladiolus only took rescue and hunting missions, refusing to touch anything political and Prompto had been left mostly alone, focusing on hunting and the construction efforts all around Lestallum. Lights needed to be repaired, houses and apartment blocks were erected, with soldiers and hunters keeping a constant guard. The city was desperately growing, a beacon of light in the darkness. And Ignis was ashamed by the fact he didn't mind not seeing the harsh reality with his own eyes.

"It's getting hard to grow anything… The green houses were attacked again."

"At this rate, we'll lose more people from the lack of sun than the daemons," Aranea sighed.

Her usual combativeness seemed temporarily gone and Ignis carefully walked up to her. She tried pushing his hands away at first, only to accept his warm hug after meeting his preoccupied expression.

"Are you scared?"

"You might say it's my natural state of mind," she mocked herself.

"That won't do. It's only garlic, after all."

She really wanted to snap at him but ended up laughing, only to feel his arms wrapping her in a stronger embrace.

"I can surely find a way to change your "natural" mindset."

"You would undo 31 years of conditioning? I know you like challenges, but… You're already putting up with me almost every day."

"You can't expect me to like the idea you're almost constantly scared, Aranea."

"I wish I could take those words back…"

"Please don't… You don't have to be strong all the time."

"And you really shouldn't be this sweet all the time," she shot back, pushing him just far enough so she could tug on his collar for a kiss.

Ignis knew by then, but the words on his heart couldn't come out yet. Living together and being known by their neighbors and friends as a couple was asking a lot out of Aranea. She had to go over her fears of being abandoned, over her fear of getting hurt beyond repair, and from all the times he'd woke up to her screams and nightmares, he knew how deep the scars ran.

He did wake her up too, an awful lot at that, and they usually teased each other about it, as they both wanted to dismiss the pain each of them was carrying.

It was on a quiet night, as he lied on his side, one arm lazily wrapped around her waist, Aranea reading him a book, a tradition slowly settling with his cecity. She halted in the middle of a sentence, shuffling until she could see his face. He blinked his eye, letting her know he was still awake and guessed she was smiling from the way her hand followed his jaw and the very light stubble he'd really meant to shave before she got home.

"What is it?"

"It hit me, just now. Promise you won't laugh."

"Aranea…" he started, worry lacing into his voice.

"I love you, Ignis."

He had expected a lot of things, but not those words. A part of him wasn't sure why she even felt the need to say them. She had let him into her life, into her bed and her house already.

"It hit you? Like a revelation?"

The chuckle in his voice made her roll her eyes.

"I know it's stupid and unlike me. But lying in bed with our clothes on, just snuggling and reading some adventure fiction…"

"This is one of the best series ever written," he objected to her dismissive tone.

"Iggy!"

The fear in her voice didn't go unnoticed to him and he kissed her temple for an apology.

"I'm sorry for cutting you off," he added. "I've loved you for a very long time now. It just never seemed like the right time to say it."

She looked at him in silence for a long time and his nerves soon refused to take it anymore. His hands cupped her face, his fingers gently tracing her lips, the curve of her nose and the shape of her eyebrows as he tried to piece together her expression. He didn't do it often, Aranea usually chiding him for invading her space when he simply had to ask. This time, she welcomed the touch, kissing his fingertips and the smile he'd deduced was confirmed by her laugh.

"You were afraid I'd run?" she asked him.

"That was a good part of it."

It sounded silly now that he admitted it out loud, because there weren't many places where people could live with the state of the world. Accordo had fallen, so had Galdyn Quay and the last bastion of humanity outside of Lestallum was Hammerhead.

"This is going to sound crazy, but I was afraid of you running more than a few times myself."

"We had better drop this attitude. You're not getting rid of me this easily."

She snuggled a little closer to him, wondering when her mind had accepted to let her life shift into something this comfortable.

"I've never dreamed I could have anything like this. Thank you for showing me better."

Words came to mind, but Ignis found it hard to speak. To think he could show her things when he had the impression it was always her guiding him, always her holding him in the dark.

"If you want anything more, you only need to ask, Aranea."

She was content with their life this way, despite the constant fear, the fact every night spent in each other's arms might be the last. During the following months, they slowly found a new rhythm, how the little attentions made the eternal night brighter, how they could cheer each other up after a long hunting trip or more bad news from the council.

He helped her with her wounds, while she supported him as the responsibilities slowly piled up on his shoulders. From a simple advisor, he was slowly becoming Monica's right-hand man and a full-time voice on city council. Lestallum had expanded to the point every refugee had a roof above their heads and the green houses were finally holding up, the food supplies not a problem unless the city was under a massive attack. Gladiolus had gotten himself a more serious girlfriend than his usual one-night stands, while Prompto seemed to gather his nerves and find the courage to actually flirt with Cindy.

"There's been a crazy idea in my head," Aranea told him as she set the last dirty dish on the counter.

"What type of crazy?"

"Domestic crazy. At least I think…"

She sounded terribly unsure and even after hearing more about her past, seeing her wounded and tired and holding her through the aftermaths of a hundred nightmares, Ignis had to say, he wasn't used to her being unsure. Furrowing his brows but carefully keeping his expression neutral otherwise, he leaned his head forward, hoping she would go on.

"It's pretty selfish," she warned him.

"Aranea, I told you before. If you want something, you ask."

She almost refused the gifts he would offer her on her birthdays, even if they were extra simple. He could almost hear her worrying her lower lip and crossed the space between them. She held back his hands, but refused to step between his arms, facing him with a serious expression he couldn't see at all.

"I'm not sure what sort of domestic idea could get you so worked up… I'm not going to panic…" he tried reassuring her.

"I'd like… I think I'd like for something more. I might not be mentally ready for it, but my body will grow older and at one point, it won't be possible anymore… I know this apartment is small and would get smaller from it…"

His logic drew conclusions, but his heart and mind weren't sure he could follow. She saw the change on his face, the hesitation and doubts slowly creeping.

"What if we had a child, Ignis?"

To be continued…

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Next chapter is mostly finished, so I should publish it fairly quickly. I'd like to thank my friend Fuzzi fox for beta reading and supporting me with this story. 😊 Let me know if you liked it. Next chapter is all about Ignis coming to term with the idea of being a father, and sweet family stuff plus all the angst I can pour here and there to justify more fluff.

The story should end when Noctis comes back from the crystal sleep, unless I do a small time skip to indulge myself with more fluff.


	2. Chapter 2

This chapter is a heavy dose of angst and fluff. The goal of this fic is to get all the Ignea family feel I can write. And also to cover a bit- if not all- of the ten years gap through Ignis's life. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter! 😊

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Web of the heart

Chapter 2 – Four-eyes makes three

" _What if we had a child, Ignis?"_

He couldn't answer at first, she might as well have punched him in the guts. He just blinked and stared at her, his head perfectly aligned with her eyes from sheer habit.

"I guess this really came out of nowhere…" she sighed.

"No, I mean, yes, but… I've never pictured myself…" He paused, trying to gather his thoughts. "I'm still blind, Aranea, I can stumble around furniture, but…"

She huffed at that, poking him in the ribs as she made her point.

"You can take care of the wounded despite being blind, I don't see why you couldn't take care of a baby. You looked after that cutie prince long enough… If anything, you'd be better than me. I'm not saying we should decide right now. I know it's big and I feel bad for even considering bringing a new life into the world with the state it's in. I just… "

She seemed ready to go on and he knew how bad she could get when she started hitting herself on the head.

"Stop, Aranea, you have every right to want this. We can't act as though the world is ending. Things are somehow getting better. And there's been a lot of children being born all over Lestallum, I didn't see anyone pointing fingers at the new parents."

"Oh, very funny, Iggy."

"I mean it. If you want it, just give me time to consider and we'll… we'll work this out."

It sounded bad, it wasn't like they were going to break apart from this, at least, he certainly hoped not. A part of him worried what ulterior motives Aranea could have. Was she hoping to leave someone with him in case anything happened to her? She was a bit older and more often on the battlefields than him and he could admit to himself he had been worried about the future.

"Work this out?! I'm not asking you to cut off one limb. I'm asking you to consider having a family together. We're good, Ignis, we work well together."

"More than well," he approved her. "I'm just nervous and not sure how to react."

"Just say you'll think about it?" Aranea offered.

And think about it he did. He even sat down with his friends, asking for their advice, despite knowing what might happen. Gladiolus laughed at him, while Prompto clapped in his hands and insisted he wanted to be an uncle, already wondering what their baby might look like.

After a few nights of tensely evading the subject and pretending as though she'd never asked it, Ignis hated himself too much for even letting this tension linger between them.

"You know, even before going blind, I'd never seen myself having a family," he started as Aranea sat in her favorite chair, not holding a book or even her phone, simply sitting down to think by herself. He hated when she did that instead of telling him what was wrong, but he knew exactly what the problem was. "I basically raised Noctis and myself," he went on right when he felt her eyes on him. "And it was harder than I'd like to admit. But if you trust me enough to ask for it…"

"I don't think I could consider it with anyone else. All the fear I used to feel for myself is gone."

"So what, you need to feel fear for someone else?"

Aranea laughed at the expression on his face.

"I just want to amount to more than a mercenary turned hunter. Before, having a child meant putting him through the same childhood as me, training, experiments and pain. Now, it means giving him a real life. It won't be easy, but…"

His hands turned to fists as he was reminded of how badly Nifelheim had hurt her. How easy his life had been in comparison...

"Don't be sad for me. We might not have met if things had been different. I'll understand if you'd rather keep me to yourself and not to worry about a little pest on top of everything else."

Ignis walked up to her, his pace a bit rushed and his mind not remembering the latest setting of their apartment. His hit his leg on a side table and winced more from the instant movement she had to check on him than the pain, but managed to push her back in her chair, kneeling in front of her.

"I want you to be happy, Aranea. I'm terrified because I can't help worrying about everything that could happen to you, to that child we could have. But I can face it if you're with me."

His hands brushed her knees, her waist, wondering if it was even possible for them. Being a family? Did he know what a family felt like? He could barely remember his own parents… But he knew the soft sides his girlfriend hid. He remembered how she would regularly inquire about Talcott and Iris, the younger members of their group. The way she hummed to herself when she prepared herself a late-night snack and thought he'd already drifted to sleep.

That night, her kisses were tentative, almost too soft, because she wasn't sure if she was owed this much. They were both pretty hard on themselves when it came to merit. After a week of entertaining the idea more and more, they agreed to simply try, without putting any stress on themselves. Ignis suspected she pulled him into bed at more specific times of the month every now and then, but he could tell how much this dream mattered to her. And before he even knew it, it was their shared dream.

There were a few false alarms, but nothing could have prepared Ignis for the overwhelming news Aranea gave him after seven months of tries. She was ominously serious and silent when he got home after a long day presiding the council. Monica had fallen ill, and he was apparently the man of the situation.

It was quite late, but Aranea had waited for him and he almost sensed the darkness inside their small apartment. The lights were all turned off, the radio too, there was only the plumbing creaking in the background and the hubbub of an overpopulated city they had grown accustomed too.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

"Sit with me."

His breath was cut short by the shiver in her voice and he hurried to her, wondering why something about her smelled different. A new shampoo maybe? The chair being too small, she had to sit in his lap, shifting until her head was leaning against his chest, with his arms holding her close and her hands undid a few buttons of his shirt to reach for his warm skin.

"Aranea…"

"It's a hundred percent certain this time."

He instantly knew what she was talking about, from the way she made herself small in his arms and how his heart fluttered under her touch. Her caresses seemed different. Was she amazed by him? Amazed that they'd manage… Could it be true?!

"My brain doesn't work right when you shiver like that," he warned her.

"I can't help it. I was starting to believe it wouldn't work. I hope I don't start saying it every day, but we're having a baby, Iggy."

Ignis had been through fire, daemons and the judgement of the ancients Kings, but it seemed his heart hadn't been ready for that. His eyes threatened to cry, a laugh wanted to burst from his throat and his arms squeezed her close, instantly easing their hold as he worried he might affect the spark of life growing inside her.

"Don't panic yet, silly, our baby is far too small for you to hurt him by holding me."

"That's… It's for real?!"

She stifled a chuckle.

"That's quite eloquent of you, Ignis," she teased him.

His hands held her waist as he tried to decide which urge he should incline first. Kissing her or lifting her in his arms despite the furniture he would knock over and the fact he might very well drop her?

"Tell me you're smiling, Aranea."

"I am, my cheeks almost hurt."

"Our baby…" he echoed her, the fondness in his voice surprising them both. "How far along…?"

She laughed fully then, and any fatigue was pushed back as they both felt excited like little kids. It was somewhere along the early morning that Ignis started worrying about everything he didn't know about pregnancy and babies. He could definitely take care of a toddler and he was certain any food their boy or girl would need, he could prepare, even if supplies ran out for more spice and vegetables. But how was he supposed to look after a baby when he started crawling around? He needed to know where things were to function. And he didn't want to trap his child somewhere only because he was afraid of stepping on him.

But the possibility was still there, wasn't it?

They waited past the four first months before telling his friends, although Gladiolus was starting to have suspicions considering how Aranea's work had been switched from hunts to nothing but sparse scavenging missions in the most secure locations surrounding Lestallum. There weren't a lot of doctors, but Monica used her influence to get the former mercenary the supervision she needed. And Ignis discovered what it meant for a guy to father a child.

First, he had to listen -not watch, for once he was glad to be blind- to the woman he loved retching and getting sick on a daily basis. Her stomach would turn at the slightest provocation and cooking anything turned into a nightmare. There were some days where Ignis almost begged Prompto to let him prepare a meal at his place, if only to remind himself his food was good and not vomit inducing garbage. He knew Aranea was doing her best and he knew how hard it was for her, she barely gained any weight at first, struggling to keep any food down for weeks. She basically lived off rice and ginger tea.

On some mornings, she was a shivering mess next to him and a lot of his neighbors told him how pale than usual she looked, thinking he _needed_ to know. And Ignis couldn't help the thought… _I did this to her_. Aranea was kind enough or maybe too weak to point out his responsibility in her state.

On the good days, she was mostly her usual self, insisting on reading him books, or helping around the apartment, even dragging him out on walks because she couldn't stand being cooped up for too long. Ignis had to do his best to treat her normally, because he felt over-protective and had no idea if she could read him as well as usual. She was a bit more unpredictable than usual, but they barely argued, unless she found him overbearing in his attentions for her.

"I'm fine carrying this pot, Iggy," she insisted. "You always miss the table and spill some of the soup."

The apology got stuck to his throat and he swallowed back the bitter feelings threatening to well up. Even on good days, Aranea had one difficulty. She always managed to find him lacking somehow. It wasn't on purpose, Ignis knew he was a lot pricklier than before with his hurt pride, but there were still times when he wondered if non-pregnant Aranea wouldn't have thought twice before making such a comment.

…

"Are you down, Ignis?" she asked him one night as he hung his coat and found his way to their bed after a particularly long day on the council.

"Hello to you too. Why would I be down?"

"Your shoulders are hanging super low and you didn't look like that as you walked down the street."

He instantly righted his stance, wondering if he'd unconsciously let his apprehension about her next crazy craving get the better of him? Lately, she was extra demanding and Ignis being the over-achiever that he was, he held himself responsible and ashamed for every occasion when he couldn't fully satisfy her. Ice cream was a delicacy almost impossible to get in this season and he had a few recent arguments on his mind… Not to mention the never-ending lists of problems in Lestallum, lists he had to either memorize or register in his phone so he could listen to his own voice till he wanted to shoot himself in the head.

"Were you waiting for me?"

"Always," she answered, uncrossing her legs and shifting towards the foot of their bed as he slowly walked up to her. "I know you don't like being observed, but it's become my habit to sit by the window and be on the lookout for you. You look good in that suit."

A tentative smile crept on his lips and he nearly tumbled onto the bed when she gripped his belt and pulled him to her level, catching himself just in time to simply tower over her.

"Don't make me crush you," he asked her, his voice nearly too soft.

"You're down. I don't like it."

"I'm not…" He sighed, realizing he was about to lie. "You're being childish," he accused her, only to be ignored with a smile and a tug on his tie.

"I know I've been hard on you lately. I miss feeling like myself, and I miss our lazy mornings snuggling close and the way you make love to me when I get back from a long hunt."

He missed those things too and had no idea how to tell her he didn't mind, because surely he shouldn't mind? She was carrying his child. She'd been throwing up and feeling weak for weeks, when she didn't worry about endangering the baby by trying to make some of her actual jobs or helping people around the city. The harsh climate was getting to her easier and she was always too warm, bloating in places that shouldn't bloat if he was to believe her. Wasn't it the least he could do to shoulder some sort of pain?

She kissed his chin, messed up his hair and gently removed the vizor glasses, struggling to store them on their night table.

"Tell me what's wrong?" she asked him as he slowly relaxed under her touch.

"I get the impression I don't… do enough to help."

"How so? You feed me, you hold me every night, even when I'm fussy, and you apparently still want me, even though I'm slowly growing into a monstrous version of myself."

"Aranea, you were always and will always be beautiful to me."

"You're lucky you're blind."

It was meant as a joke, he heard it in her voice, his mind processed it that way, but he couldn't help flinching away.

"Iggy, I'm sorry, I didn't mean…"

She tried to hold him back, to keep him with her and the advisor felt awful for even reacting to the jab.

"I know. I shouldn't be that sensitive about it by now," he chided himself.

"Have I been rougher than usual with you lately?"

Her hands ruffled his hair and he leaned his head against her chest, holding her close, careful of not putting too much of his weight on her.

"I don't need to be coddled, Aranea. If anything, I would like it if you let me spoil you more. For once, I have an excuse, and I might need a cane on our walks and a detailed mental map of every freaking building I walk in, but I can still…"

"Oh Iggy, don't think like that. I don't think you're less than any man I know. I was into you before, but I fell in love with the blind you. Not out of pity or because you seemed any less threatening than other guys… I just did."

She trembled in his arms and he realized she was crying now.

"I'm sorry…" he whispered to her, kissing her temple.

"Well, a good part of it are my hormones," she defended herself, trying to dry her tears.

"I get so scared I could lose you, lose this life with you, sometimes I forget that I have a right to enjoy it every day," he explained to her.

"Well, do something about it. I don't want to bring you down because I'm too good to be true."

How could she laugh and cry at the same time was beyond her, but he agreed, consoling her with feather-like kisses, until her playful mood was entirely back. They didn't rush as they made love, finding peace as he gathered her shivering body in his arms when they both felt sated.

"My second ultrasound is in a few days. Are you sure you want it to be a surprise?"

"I need a surprise. As long as our baby is healthy, I'm fine with anything."

"You don't regret agreeing to this, do you? I know I'm already tough to live with normally."

"We're both under a lot of stress," he reminded her. "I won't ever regret starting a family with you, Aranea. Unless you don't give me any attention when the baby's out."

"As if you wouldn't be all over it! You're a mother hen if I ever saw one," she teased him, her nails stroking his chest, making him snuggle even closer to her.

There was no nightmare that night, and Ignis found himself sleeping in, keeping her in his arms far much longer than his job suggested. He called in sick after some nagging, and they enjoyed a day between themselves, pushing away the worries of parenthood and those shadows lurking outside.

…

By the time she was six months along, Aranea's belly had gotten round enough for the pregnancy to be undeniable and while the baby was small by normal standards, it was perfectly healthy. Prompto was a nervous mess around her and even Gladiolus softened at the sight of her. He was at a loss of words when she offered to let him touch her belly for the first time. Ignis knew how feisty their baby was, with how many times Aranea tossed and turned in bed and how sometimes, he could feel it hitting him in the ribs or back if they were lying too close. And the Astrals knew, his girlfriend was clingier than ever lately. Her latest craving was him. With or without side ingredients. At any hour of the day or night. She usually held herself back -usually being the leading word here-, and while he liked the regular attention, Ignis had a lot on his plate, before even counting a demanding and more and more pregnant Aranea.

"Ari baby, I need to listen to these testimonies."

"You can have them play in the background…"

"Please, I swear I'd rather be naked with you for the next week, but these can't wait. I'm already breaking the rules listening them at home."

Crime was growing rampant. Theft, assault, destruction of property as people looked for the resources that couldn't be scavenged anymore. Ignis had instated laws, but the population needed normalcy and the eternal night was messing with everyone's mind. No matter how many lights they build, the sun was gone, and hope was fading. The latest initiative to cheer Lestallum's citizens, a festival celebrating three years of survival, had been delayed by vicious daemons attack and the brief fall of Hammerhead. Prompto was beyond himself with worry and Iris had joined the militia despite Gladiolus's opposition.

Some people were starting to flee into the wilds to try their luck without the system Ignis, Monica and Cor were desperately trying to maintain. Ignis almost wished Aranea wouldn't go out on her own anymore, but he knew better than to say it out loud. She'd been so angry about her torn up skirt the last week, he wasn't sure he could survive more than one hormone-fueled argument with her every week.

"How long until you're done?" she insisted. "I'm pouting by the way."

He rolled his eye at her, since it had been clear enough in his imagination.

"There's four hours of recording on there. And pouting will get you nowhere."

"I don't think you ever saw me pouting. Or making puppy eyes. It's pretty effective normally."

"What have you done to my woman?" he shot back, half kidding, half annoyed.

Her gasp made him wonder for an instant what…

"Your woman?!" she repeated, the outrage clear in his voice.

 _Oh no._

"I'm an abject caveman," he quickly told her as an apology. "What have you done to the beautiful mother of my child, wrathful apparition?"

Humor usually calmed her, but it appeared it wouldn't work this time.

"Ignis!"

"Aranea!" he snapped right back. "I'm sorry, but I need to get this work done!"

"Fine, I know when I'm being difficult. Go on and save lives."

She dejectedly sulked in a corner of their apartment, making close to no noise. Five hours later, he finished his last file and hung his phone, his shoulders stiff from leaning his head forward for too long.

"I'm done, Ara…"

The silence he heard after removing his earphones was almost ominous. He got up and walked all over the apartment. His inspection was quick for a blind man, but his heart missed a beat as realization hit. She'd gone out without telling him. And he had no idea where to look for her.

 _Call her, just call her, she'll…_

But his mind was already starting scenarios. The three first rings were torture and she sounded tired when she finally answered.

"I know I should have warned you I was going out," Aranea started.

"Where are you?!" he nearly barked into the phone.

"You don't get to do that, Iggy. I'm pregnant, not mentally deranged. If you want to get your work done and are going to ignore me for five hours, I have a right to get some air and visit my friends Wedge and Biggs. They had gifts for the baby."

 _She's safe. They're both safe,_ he told himself.

But his heart wouldn't calm down.

"I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too," Aranea answered him. "I'm a whiny mess lately."

"I'll come and pick you up," Ignis offered.

"Stay home, I can walk back on my own."

"I'd really prefer it if you weren't alone out there," he said, his concern genuine and she sighed on the other line.

He could make her swoon with a hello if he put enough emotion into it lately.

"I already kicked some mugger's ass a while ago," she declared.

Was that supposed to comfort him?!

"You wha…?!"

"You are going to root your ass to a chair and wait, Ignis Scientia. In one month, I might not handle myself so well anymore, but you need to show me you still trust me. I can take care of our child."

He wanted to argue about how unreasonable she was, but she cut off her line with that. Biggs and Wedge's little joint was half an hour walk away from their apartment. Ignis wasn't sure he could wait that long before going mad.

But he paced around the room, knowing full well that leaving now could take him down a different road from her itinerary. He wanted to see her right now. He nearly knocked a side table down, trying to clear his thoughts through the movements, the repetitive actions. The jingle of keys and the turning doorknob had him rushing to the door and Aranea barely had time to walk inside, his arms pulling her in a bear hug right as he recognized her breathing.

"Iggy…!"

"Don't ever do that to me again," he pleaded. "I've spent the last four hours listening to people talking about mugging or murders they'd witnessed and then I realize you're…"

He let her in, refusing to let go of her as he closed and turned their three locks.

"I know you might worry for me, but I needed air, you should know better than…"

Her voice dropped to mute shock as he pulled her shirt over her head without even asking for permission and sank to his knees. His face rested against her belly, his voice shifting to something even softer than before.

"I'm really sorry," he whispered. "Your father made mommy so angry she just rushed off and I don't know what I would do if…"

Ignis kissed her belly, trying to somehow control his nerves and Aranea wondered if this wasn't the first time he'd talked to their baby. Her heart was pretty much melting at the sight of her stern and stubborn man this shaken.

"I'm fine, Iggy. We're both fine," she told him, stroking his hair.

He held her in a way that made her feel even more precious than usual, looking at her with his eye too pale and star shaped scar. It seemed so natural, it was hard to believe he couldn't see the tears sticking to her lashes.

"I know you can handle pretty much anything, Aranea. And I'm sure our kid will be as tough as his mother…"

"You should talk to him more," she said.

"I talk to him whenever you're asleep. I was afraid you'd think me silly for… Wait, Aranea, you said _him_? Is it a boy?!"

"I know you wanted it to be a surprise, but if you are talking to our baby already, I'd rather you knew."

The bright smile on Ignis's face at that officially turned her melting heart to a puddle of feels. He seemed ready to plant a dozen kiss across her belly, but she tugged on his wrists.

"I need to sit down, my legs are like rubber," she told him.

They were both a little too frantic for simply sitting down, so they lied down, Aranea snuggling as close to him as she could despite her belly. Ignis was pretty certain the only comfortable way to even hold her when lying in bed would soon be to wrap himself to her side.

"Are you not still angry with me?" he pondered.

"I really shouldn't since it's your turn making dinner. Our boy wants that asparagus pastry you made last month, with cheese and monkey grease meat."

His eyebrows twitched slightly.

"That's… that's some really precise order. I don't think we have that meat. Wouldn't he be tempted by some behemoth steak? It's been marinating for Gladio's birthday, but I could let you two sample some of it."

Aranea scrunched up her nose, barely catching herself as she noticed Ignis's pointed look.

"If I'm sampling marinated meat, I will not stop at some of it," she warned him.

Ignis knew very well the risk he was taking, but he really wanted to celebrate what he'd just learned. A part of him was even more terrified than before, because now it sounded even realer. He was going to be a father. After basically raising Noctis, he was going to have his own son.

…

"Amadeus?!" Prompto repeated.

Ignis was glad Aranea wasn't sitting down with them for this talk. She was really, really protective of that name, not to mention hypersensitive about the baby lately. She would have hated to sit in a bar knowing she couldn't take a drink for two more months, which was why she'd stayed home.

Ignis had suggested the name on a late night and after testing a dozen different names, some less Latin, some barely pronounceable, Amadeus was the one Aranea loved the most. The baby kicked a lot less when she used it too. By now, Ignis had a suspicion their boy would be a little tempest. With Aranea's hot temper and his own stubbornness, he was predicting a lot of arguing and struggles in their household. And much to his own shock, he was looking forward to it.

"It's a good name," Ignis objected to the mocking snort Gladiolus uttered.

"You know what other kids are going to call him? Mad!" the Shield couldn't help himself.

"It's so long. So Latin too. Did you bully Aranea into saying yes for it?" Prompto teased.

"I don't bully her into anything."

"You're totally whipped." Gladio mocked.

Ignis glared at him through his visor glasses and the large man actually shifted in his chair with discomfort.

"I was kidding, Iggy. But you have to admit, your girl is…"

"When a woman will be carrying your only child, we'll see if you dote on her or not."

"Oh man, he's going to be such a mess," Prompto laughed, giving a playful push on Gladio's shoulder, which almost earned him to be shoved off his seat. "When do we get to meet that Crowe of yours?"

"I… I thought we were here to discuss Iggy's baby…"

"You know Prom, I'm starting to wonder if he hasn't invented that lady friend of his to hide the fact he's not as popular as usual," Ignis quipped. "You get awfully defensive whenever we ask questions about your girlfriend," he added, inclining his head in Gladio's direction.

"She's plenty real," the Shield started, his jacket cracking as his shoulders sagged a bit. "It's only been a year and I never had anything this serious before. If Prompto finally worked the nerves to ask Cindy out, I wouldn't feel so bad about getting some action."

"You dog!"

"It's not like I didn't try," Prompto protested. "I just freak out when she starts looking at me with her wide…"

Ignis sensed the dirty joke Gladiolus was about to say and kick his left shin under the table.

"Owww! You see that, Prom? That's the bad influence of his dragoon chick. Our bachelor Iggy wouldn't attack me out of nowhere."

"You were about to make a comment about Cindy's chest, weren't you?" the gunman accused their friend. "She dresses more conservatively now."

"Does she now?"

After a bit more arguing, Prompto realized they had almost dismissed the debate about that baby's name, much to Ignis's displeasure, because Gladiolus didn't wait long to find a reason for calling it a wrong choice.

"So… Amadeus, huh? With a bit of a stretch, kids could call him Ham…"

"Would you stop trying to find ways to mock his name? Aranea is dead set on it. And it sounds more like a name than Gladiolus."

"He's got a point there, Gladdy."

"You don't call me that, birdhead."

A beer later, the three men had smiles on their faces. They didn't reunite like this quite often ever since Noctis was gone, because somehow, being together reminded them of how much they missed him. But lately, with the new things in their life, they were all starting to wonder how much they would have changed when their king and friend would finally be back.

"How long until we can see Amadeus's chubby face?" Prompto ended up asking.

Ignis felt the familiar mix of excitement and fear welling up inside.

"About 7 weeks now," he answered, his voice coming out softer than he'd intended.

"Time sure flies by," Gladio commented.

They all nodded, sharing a thought that none of them wanted to say out loud. Noctis had been gone for almost four years now. And while hope remained, it was growing dimmer. It wasn't clear where they should be looking for it by now, but Ignis knew his hope was Aranea and the small family they were starting.

"Don't you guys forget we're expecting you for dinner next Sunday," Ignis reminded them as they walked out of the bar.

"I'm bringing the greens," Prompto said.

"And I'll present you Crowe, unless she's called for a new hunt."

"Excellent. I'll put in a word to Cor to make sure your mystery girlfriend keeps her day off."

"Get off my back already, Iggy."

…

On the next Sunday, Ignis was faced with a nervous and self-doubting Aranea. She felt enormous by now, especially after knocking a few ingredients down to the floor twice in a row. She couldn't bend so well anymore and found it hard standing up after sitting down, which meant she stubbornly stayed on her feet while Ignis picked up everything she accidentally knocked over. He managed well enough despite his own handicap, but Aranea's never-ending string of apologies made the whole process sound a whole tougher than it should be.

"I look awful in all of my clothes… Why did I even accept to have the guys over?"

"Aranea, you're not…"

"Save it, I know it's mandatory for you to say I'm pretty, but I'm not right now and I sure don't feel like it. I'm a swollen baby zeppelin!"

Ignis held back a chuckle, because the picture it called to his mind was pretty damn cute. And he wondered if Aranea realized how adorably flustered she was lately.

"Are you laughing at me, Ignis Scientia?"

"No, darling."

He couldn't seem to stifle his laugh and tried to focus on the meat grilling in the pan.

"You are so laughing at me!" she insisted.

That only made his laughter stronger and he gave up, hoping he could regain his seriousness quickly.

"A baby zeppelin? Think about it, Aranea."

"I don't want to think about it. For once in my life, I want to wear a dress and I don't have a single one that fits!"

"We bought one two weeks ago," he recalled.

He heard fabric rumpling and held back a sigh.

"You said you wanted to cook with me, Ari."

"I'm a nuisance in this kitchen right now. And I can't very well welcome your friends in my bra and panties, no matter how much Gladiolus would like that."

Ignis could imagine how much Gladiolus would appreciate the show. He might not see her, but he'd mapped out every change to her body, from her full breasts to the curve of her life-carrying belly. He loved every part of her right now. Even though her belly button was almost popping out, and her swollen feet made it impossible to wear shoes. He'd taken to massaging her lower back daily now. It was pretty much the only time she let him touch her, because she was oversensitive and couldn't seem to find a position she liked.

"Wear the dress. Prompto and Gladio will behave."

"But Prom will insist on snapping a picture…"

Ignis reached for his kitchen knife as he had yet to mince onions and muttered under his breathe when his hand found nothing but empty air.

"Aranea, where did you put the knife?"

She seemed ready to complain some more, but he turned to her, his tone pleading.

"I need your help, love, otherwise we won't have that onion soup you insisted on. I know you're always uncomfortable, but you're almost done with it."

"Then we can be uncomfortable together as we stop sleeping for the next six months."

The teasing in her voice eased some of his own worries and he felt her hands on his forearm as she joined him in their kitchen again. Her skin was warm, nearly too warm and her fingers reached up for his chin. He could instantly tell what she wanted from him and slowly bent his neck.

"I need to feel myself again. Not this… ready to burst balloon of flesh."

"Baby zeppelin sounds way better," he told her, wrapping one arm around her frame. She was still in her underwear, the skin of her back soft under his touch.

Ignis didn't even have to fumble to find the crook of her neck, planting a kiss on her collarbone, and relishing the way she instantly relaxed against him.

He kissed his way up her neck and chin to her lips, claiming her mouth in a lazy dance that left them both wanting for more.

"Iggy, the meat will burn if we don't…"

"You can't tempt me like that and think there won't be consequences," he objected, unclasping her bra with his deft fingers.

"Ignis, there's no time for…"

She gasped at his first touch and before long, she was pulling him away from the kitchen and in their living room, so she could sit somewhere, anywhere while he reminded her just how beautiful and desirable she was to him. The oven had been temporarily turned off and while Ignis didn't find his own release in the fondling and kissing, he had to admit the mere sounds and taste of her were enough to please him right now. A violent kick from the baby made them both feel slightly embarrassed, but Aranea held her ground.

"Your mom needed that, sweetie. And you'd better be conscious of all the sacrifices your father is making for your sake."

Ignis blushed even more at that and sensed her instant smile. He was growing better at reading her, from the way she shifted, the little sighs or hums she'd make.

"You'd better not be that flushed when your friends arrive," she teased him.

That effectively snapped him back to reality.

"What time is it?!"

"I can't see our clock from here, but if you help me to my feet and the shower…"

"I need my knife first," he reminded her.

Aranea leaned heavily on him for support and quickly located his knife, ruffling his hair a little more for good measure. She took the briefest shower in history and remained half naked for longer than Ignis considered good with the knowledge his friends could arrive at any moment now. But she wanted to taste the soup and the meat and to help him a bit more since she'd been so on edge… and it seemed she wanted his arms around her and a few more kisses, and he'd be damned before he could deny her either of these things!

Prompto arrived first, only five minutes early, and thankfully, Aranea had agreed to put on her dress by then, welcoming the gunman inside with a smile.

"If you comment my waistline, you'll eat my spear as an appetizer," she warned.

"Can I feel the baby?!" Prompto retorted, too excited to let himself be scared.

He also knew for a fact that Aranea couldn't raise her spear at the moment, because she had tried one time, when Cor had made her particularly mad with the extended maternity leave he wanted to give her, and the spear had ended up out the window. Talcott pretended it had been stolen and to still be looking for it, but Ignis had decided it was better to keep the weapon away from his girlfriend until the baby was born.

"And I'm back to being public property. Get in and keep that camera to yourself."

Biggs and Wedge were as punctual as ever and congratulated Aranea on looking radiant, to which she chided them for using the very same compliment every time.

"You are radiant!" Wedge objected.

"Your eyes are sparkling almost as much as they did this afternoon after you kicked us out of your airship! So I guess Ignis did something more than cooking this morning!" Biggs added.

Ignis busied himself on finishing the plates, wondering if that spark was really there, even back then. How he wished he could see it for himself! It was almost worth the embarrassment to hear from it

"But you don't want me congratulating you on… Ouch!"

A slap to them both seemed enough to calm Aranea's light blush and they walked into the small apartment, commenting on how all the baby stuff was crammed in the only side room except for the bathroom. Ignis and Aranea still needed to take the time to prepare the nursery.

"If you need my help, I can swing by after works. Iris would definitely like to help too."

"I wanted to do it myself," Aranea sighed, "but it took forever to find the stuff we needed."

Not to mention how hard it was to even get some things, considering recent attacks on factories and the steady escalation in crimes. Ignis, Cor and Monica were barely containing it and a new program was in preparation, a program including banishment as the ultimate penalty. If people couldn't live in society and proved a liability to their neighbors, it seemed like the only way, but the drastic solution made the advisor feel such guilt.

How could he tell Noctis that a third of his people couldn't be saved because they lacked the man power and prisons to sustain them adequately?

His dark thoughts were erased when Gladiolus arrived with a woman whose steps sounded sure despite their lightness. Ignis always found it a challenge to meet new people and Aranea usually gave him a full description of any glaives, new recruits or neighbors. His girlfriend quickly gave him a description. Brunette, long hair, strong eyes, pretty but not aggressively so.

"Not aggressively so?" Ignis couldn't help but repeat, keeping his voice low enough.

"I feel easily threatened. Her waist is a third of mine," she whispered back.

"My heart is set on you," he reminded her, which made her blush and lean just a bit closer to him.

After greeting the mysterious Crowe Altius, Ignis focused his attention on Gladio instead, to see how the woman affected him. He might miss the little touches, but the fact Gladiolus held her chair for her and kept checking on her made it clear for both Ignis and Prompto that their friend had fallen deep and hard.

The discussions remained trivial, everyone needing this quiet and peaceful dinner in good company.

"I was telling Ignis I could help with the nursery, Gladio. Do you think you could find time too? Aranea said there were a few shelves she wanted to put up and you know how good I am with nails."

"Or a hammer," the Shield teased him. "Iggy, I don't want to hear any protest, it's the least I can do. That baby is already a part of our family, and I really suck with gifts."

"Alright then. As long as you come at decent hours for the work. It shouldn't take more than a day or two… I think."

Aranea squeezed his hand under the table, knowing how guilty he felt about not being able to do most of those things himself. He could repair things to an extent, but it took him a lot longer than it did for her and she didn't mind doing the less repetitive manual tasks around the apartment.

She drove the conversation back to a topic that wouldn't remind him of his cecity so much, nearly quizzing Crowe on how Gladio and her had met and how things were going between them. By the time dessert was over, Crowe wanted to exchange a few recipes with Ignis and had promised Aranea she would accompany her to every bar in Lestallum on a girl's night if they could convince Iris to tag along. Gladiolus wasn't quite enthusiastic, but since they enjoyed their boys' nights every now and then, he couldn't exactly deny this, considering his sister was of age too. Wedge and Biggs left first, each of them hugging Aranea and shaking hands with Ignis.

"You'd better call us when the little tyke pops out!"

"I'll call you two, don't worry guys."

Prompto, Gladio and Crowe left after getting through the entire cake Ignis had prepared and helping with the dirty dishes too, leaving the future parents in their little nest with either a hug, a clap on the shoulder or a nice word for the baby.

"You know Iggy, if you'd told me I would be living like this one day, I wouldn't have believed you."

"Are you happy?" he asked, tentatively wrapping his arms around her.

She leaned against him, one hand gripping to his shirt.

"I am. Are you?"

There were still a few shadows to the picture, but Ignis had to admit, even in the dark world of endless space he'd fallen, those shadows had almost no hold on him anymore.

"I'm really glad I get to enjoy this life with you, Aranea."

"I hope it stays that way when our boy will be here. I can't wait to have him in my arms."

His smile was really soft at that. They had so many dreams now, it was hard to believe how far they'd come.

To be continued…

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Next chapter, a new bro should be born to the chocobros family! And fluff/angst are still on the horizon.

Please, let me know what you think of this chapter. Mostly its pacing. Too much chocobros? Not enough of them?


	3. Chapter 3

An update! I must thank the latest review for giving me the will to take chapter 3, which was mostly written and complete it. A new member is joining the cast and we get some chocobros interaction with this chapter. Enjoy your read!

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Web of the heart

Chapter 3 – A new chocobro

There had been false contractions a few times, but there was nothing false about these ones. After wishing for it and wondering if she might not carry it out, being so unlike what she called a "normal woman", she was finally reaching this stage of her life. She'd heard a few war stories about giving birth. She'd been through enough nasty operations to hate hospitals and nurses and doctors, but she was ready to face the music if it meant receiving help, because despite reading the books and not tuning out her doctor during her check-up appointments, Aranea didn't feel ready anymore. Amadeus was fine inside, she could still carry him with her, talk to him, stroke her belly when he kicked too hard, hum for him when she woke up from a nightmare. But her body was calling the pregnancy over and she found herself torn between wanting to reclaim her freedom and knowing that once the baby was in her arms, she wouldn't be able to protect him as well as before.

What if she did something wrong? What if she lost him in the city? What if someone tried to snatch him away from them to use as a bargaining chip against Ignis? Or against her? What if someone remembered her from the time she'd worked for the empire? What if Ardyn left the capital to give her a visit for the good old times sake? What if Ignis realized she had no idea what she was doing and was just as panicked as him?

 _He would call you silly and remind you we're together in this_ , she told herself.

Though she was the only one in pain right now. She called him for the second time, refusing to leave a message. She'd called Wedge already to make sure someone would meet her up at the hospital, in between her two calls to Ignis, and now she was struggling to walk up the road. The city having closed off and cars being prohibited inside, she didn't have a lot of options to get herself to the hospital. And walking was good for the labor if she remembered right.

"Aranea?"

"Hey, Iggy," she started, trying to keep her voice steady. "The labor has started. I'm pretty certain it did at least. I can't remember if Gladiolus is in the city today…"

The man had offered to carry her to the hospital should the need arise.

"I… He's here, where are you?"

"Halfway to Vyv's picture stand. I think I'm going to crash there for a bit."

"Are you alright?"

"I don't know, can you stay on the line with me?"

She hated how fragile she sounded, but Ignis agreed to it, if she allowed him to give a quick call to Gladio so they could both meet up with her and make sure she'd get to the hospital without any problem.

Vyv looked scandalized as she unceremoniously gripped his stand for support as a new contraction took over, almost sending his photographs flying. She was wondering where Amadeus had last kicked her. Were his feet up or down? When was the last time she felt him move? She screwed her eyebrows as she spotted a picture that looked strangely familiar on the table.

"Miss Highwind…" Vyv started.

"What is this?" she snapped at him. "Why do you have a picture of me walking up this very street? Who took that?! Who takes a picture of a pregnant woman struggling her way up a street instead of offering her help?!"

"I can't divulge my source, it's…"

"I'm in pain and I'm pissed off and you'd better answer me or else I don't know what I'll do to you!"

Her phone was clutched in her right hand and she barely heard Ignis's voice calling her name.

"Aranea?"

"I'm fine Iggy, I just need to murder someone."

"Those pictures are taken by random cameras in the street lights!" Vyv defended himself, raising both hands in front of him. "It's a matter of security and I randomly print them because I need to make some money if I want to survive, I'll rip this one up, I promise. You… you can sit down here and if you need anything, water, ice, a… a change of pants maybe…"

Vyv was terrified and rambling, but Aranea frowned at his last offer and realized why he'd even suggest…

"Iggy, it's really for real this time. My water just broke."

"We're on our way," he told her. "If you're not attacked, can you refrain from killing anyone?"

He asked it so matter-of-factly, she wanted to ask him how crazy he perceived her, but her voice got stuck in her throat as she tried to hold on a gasp of pain.

"I think I can… Oh lords. Just get here, Iggy."

Gladiolus didn't give the pair time to hold hands or exchange a word, scooping Aranea in his arms without as much as a hello.

"Why did you think walking your way there would be a good idea?" the Shield asked after taking the first five steps.

"Because we're one week early and I needed fresh air!" she shot back.

Ignis winced, wishing he could be the one carrying her, but while he could manage on short distances, like from the threshold of their door to their bed, he wasn't exactly good at maneuvering the streets with both his cane and a very pregnant Aranea.

"We're here now, try to relax," he told her. "And you Gladio better watch your tone and manners."

"I'm sorry, this stuff makes me nervous."

Aranea let out a sharp cry of pain and both men nearly panicked. The ten minutes' walk seemed much longer than it should have been, but they met up with Wedge at the hospital, who'd made sure a room had been prepared for the young mother.

After that she was changed in a hospital gown and allowed to lie down on her bed, Ignis took the opportunity to ask her how she felt since the doctor hadn't yet shown up.

"It's not so bad," she tried reassuring him. "The pain is just really sharp when… oh, it's coming again."

She clutched his hand and Ignis grit his teeth. She had to be hurting so much right now. He could sense it in her sharp breaths, and the tension exuding from her entire body. Aranea never panted like that and he'd seen her and heard her in pain before.

 _Just a few hours and it will be over_ , he told himself.

After the first fourteen hours, Aranea had given up any intention of comforting him.

"I want a mountain of seafood," she repeated for the tenth time.

"Sure you only want one mountain of it?" Ignis tried to divert her attention.

"Should I be clear on the size of that mountain? I want Ravatogh's rock weight in seafood!"

"Noted."

His hand was nearly crushed when she squeezed on it harder.

"You're almost there," the nurse told Aranea after checking on her progress. "The delivery should start in a few more hours."

Ignis surprised himself by addressing a silent prayer to Ramuh and Bahamut. He was ready to swear the bones in his fingers had already shattered, but he could hear Aranea's distress as she exclaimed, "MORE hours?!"

She turned to him and he instinctively cupped her face with his free hand, realizing strands of hair were falling over her eyes and tucking them behind her ears.

"How long has it been?" she asked

"I've lost count, darling. Just hang in there, okay?"

She heaved a deep sigh. She smelled of sweat and something else, unlike her.

"You're so damn pale, Iggy."

He bit his lips, unsure whether he should tell her how badly he wanted to see her right now. He had a suspicion she didn't want to see herself.

"You should have known I would have been worried about you. Both of you."

"Well, I'm still alive. You should take a rest if we have… still a few hours left. Check on the guys. I'll text you if there's any change."

He didn't like the idea of leaving her, but his nerves could use a break. Finding the waiting room wasn't too hard, since Gladiolus was arguing on the phone with Iris while Prompto nervously tapped one foot to the floor. Biggs and Wedge had been here for the first five hours and had agreed to leave when Ignis's friends came over. The first childbirth was usually long after all and they didn't want to take all the space in the waiting room.

"How is it going?" Prompto asked as soon as he spotted Ignis.

"Fine, somehow. It's just wearing her down."

"You look about ready to pass out," Gladio observed.

"I'm just in dire need of coffee. And a new hand…"

"I'll get some for you, man," the gunman said, quickly realizing how it might sound. "Coffee I mean."

Prompto rushed to his feet and the vending machine, Ignis plopping down in a chair with a sigh. He pushed the vizor glasses on his head to pinch the bridge of his nose, his scar fully showing.

"She's one heck of a warrior, she'll pull through this," Gladiolus encouraged him.

"I know she will," Ignis answered. "I'm just… so tired of being helpless next to her. I've adapted, and I function better than I would have imagined… But I need her to tell me when something is wrong, unless I can somehow smell or hear it."

Gladiolus shifted uncomfortably on his chair, before finding a way to turn Ignis's thinking around.

"Dude, you need to remember that some guys like me can see clearly and we still miss when something's wrong unless our girlfriend tell us so."

"Well, that's because you're an oaf. How's Iris doing?"

He needed a distraction right now, because otherwise, he would rush back to that room and hear Aranea chide him for not taking more than a five minute break.

"She really wanted to visit, but she can't get off her job," Gladio explained. "And she complained I should have brought flowers if you wonder why we were arguing."

"Aranea hates flowers," Ignis whispered. "She hates gifts too, most of the time."

"And still, she was the one who asked for a kid. That's a big gift, don't you think?"

"Tell me that again when you'll be in my place. After hearing Crowe screaming and panting for ten hours, knowing you gave her that _chance_."

Gladio winced and thought he owed Ignis some sort of confession since the man was opening up far more than his usual.

"That might happen sooner than you think. I… We had talked about it before, but nature sort of decided for us."

"Here is your coffee, Iggy!" Prompto chimed in, too nervous to even notice the look on either of his friends' faces.

"Hold on, Prom. Gladio just told me… Crowe and him are expecting."

"What?!"

"A chocobo, of course, what do you think?" The King's Shield teased to hide his own nervousness.

"Why didn't you say anything?! I've been sitting in this waiting room with you for the last six hours and you tell it to Iggy after three minutes?!"

Gladiolus raised his arms in self-defense.

"He made me feel bad, turning all insecure on me!"

Ignis chuckled at that and his laugh soon turned contagious, the three men wondering if they would always be such a mess in similar situations. They ended up sharing a brief hug, sitting back down and feeling lighter as they congratulated both Gladiolus and Ignis and insisted on teasing Prompto to grow some balls when it came to Cindy.

"Well, we might have slept together on our first date," he admitted after the teasing finally got on his nerves. "We've been on and off ever since. And I have no idea what I'm doing."

"Prompto Argentum! Are you for real?!" Gladio exclaimed.

"Could you three keep it down, this is a hospital, not some backwater joint!" a clearly overworked nurse warned them.

"When were you planning on letting us know of this… giant step?" Ignis struggled to find a politically correct way to call it.

"I don't know. It's not like I'm her boyfriend or anything. Heck, I showed her my imperial tag and she started calling me MT boy."

Both of his friends' faces fell at that.

"Shit, Prom, you're not made for this type of relationship. She's going to eat you alive and spit you out before you know it."

"See, that's why I thought I'd better wait before telling you two about it," the gunman groaned, crossing his arms over his chest.

"We're always going to have it rough, you'd better talk to us whenever the need arise," Ignis pointed out.

Ignis's phone buzzed as Prompto seemed ready to add something. The advisor quickly gulped down his coffee, grateful for the rush of energy coming with the bitter taste.

"Aranea needs me. You two keep this a civilized conversation until I get back, alright?"

"Sure mom," Gladiolus teased him.

Prompto gave him a cheering pat on the shoulder, knowing his thumb up wouldn't amount to anything.

"Can't wait to call you dad instead," he quipped.

"Good luck with your nerves in there!" Gladiolus added, the cheeky smile clear in his tone.

Ignis rolled his eye at them.

"Cross your fingers. We won't need it, but I really wouldn't mind," he admitted before walking off.

…

Aranea was cursing up a storm by now and Ignis barely managed to get by her side without disturbing the nurse or doctor looking after her, leaving his cane by the door to make sure it wouldn't get in the way.

"Just in time, Mister Scientia. Now, Miss Highwind, I want you to push when I count, and don't forget to breathe."

"Why would I forget to breathe at this point, you dumbass!"

The doctor simply chuckled at the insult, while Ignis tentatively hovered next to Aranea. He could smell blood and other things his nose didn't recognize. Since the nurse and doctor were both acting normal and the only tension in the room came from the woman he loved, he gathered that things were proceeding as they should. It didn't prevent him from panicking a little more inside.

"Iggy, can you hold me?" Aranea asked, reaching one hand in his direction, surprising him.

"Is that…?"

"Sure, you can squeeze behind her, let her lean back on you during the worst of it. Adding pressure to her back could help," the nurse explained.

The process that followed would never leave Ignis's mind. Aranea had screamed up to now, but it was nothing compared to the pain she was going through as she pushed and breathed in and out, cursing profusely and crying a bit.

"I think my back's breaking…"

And Ignis could tell from the way she arched, tensed, and desperately clutched to his arm. He didn't want her to go through this again if he could help it. A part of him remembered why all this suffering was necessary, but he loved her, and he wasn't sure he could handle this again.

"His head is almost out," the doctor tried encouraging her.

Aranea almost bit on her tongue, her eyes shooting daggers. She felt as though she would burst from the sheer pressure, like her spine was twisted by some daemon lurking deep inside, rearranging her bones into a cacophony of pain. How come her skin was still holding together? How come she wasn't torn in half already?

 _This isn't my body anymore, this isn't my life anymore, someone else is in control, I can barely keep my thoughts straight._

Ignis softly whispered her name and some of the fears nearly vanished at the sound of his voice. She wasn't doing this only for herself. It was for him, it was his boy, his chance to realize he was far from broken, that their life amounted to more than just themselves.

"Four. Five. Six…" the doctor counted.

"Go to hell!" she rasped at him.

But she did push, not sure if it was only a baby coming out of her, and not all of her insides. The pressure slipped to something almost bearable, more tears rolling down her face.

"The worst is done now, we just need to get him fully out. Breathe, Aranea."

"No more Miss Highwind, huh?" she nearly whimpered instead of the bark she'd intended.

"Easy, easy, just a little more."

Aranea wasn't sure she had the strength for it and couldn't help a dozen old feelings resurfacing within her as her tired eyes met the doctor bending between her legs.

"He's lying, Iggy, he's lying to me!"

"Aranea, please, you're almost done," he encouraged her.

It took more than one last push, but the baby came out, his cries soon ringing in their ears. Aranea was half convinced she could have dissolved right then if it hadn't been for Ignis's arms around her and at this point, he might have been holding onto her for dear life, because he was just as shaken as her.

"Do you want to cut the umbilical cord?" the doctor offered Ignis.

He quickly shook his head, Aranea sighing with a soft smile as she leaned back in his arms, her hair sticking to her forehead.

The nurse cleaned up the baby, removing any leftover amniotic liquid from his mouth and weighed him as Aranea watched her every movement.

"Your boy appears to be in perfect health. Here, I'm sure you're eager to meet him."

As Ignis sensed the doctor moving forward, he instinctively backed away, but Aranea's hand gripped to his wrist, although not as strongly as before. While he was afraid he would mess something up, especially now, considering their baby was particularly small and fragile, he understood Aranea needed his support. She was like glass next to him.

The doctor motioned to lay the baby boy on Aranea's belly, but she reached out, a plaintive sound coming from her throat.

"Here you go, Miss Highwind. Congratulations to you both."

Aranea barely made a sound, settling the bundle of warm and sticky skin against her chest and peering down at him, leaning a bit more against Ignis. Their boy stopped crying after a few minutes of silence, his fists closed tight, his face chubby and bright red, a light fuzz of hair on the crown of his head. Aranea hummed despite herself, before heaving a deep sigh of relief. Her first words brought a smile to Ignis's lips as he tried to picture the look on her face.

"Why did your little head feel so damn big, baby? Oh, mom's all silly right now. Hello Amadeus. That's your name… Amadeus Stupeo Scientia Highwind. You'll get to choose your favorite last name when you're older. He's perfect, Ignis," she added, raising her head to meet his face. "All red and wrinkled, and his head is a bit misshapen right now. To be honest, he's quite ugly."

Ignis couldn't help his laugh at that.

"Seriously Aranea?"

"I won't stop being honest because of him," she defended herself. "He's a cute kind of ugly. And he'll look better when he'll be less red everywhere. I think he has your ears. I love him so much, I think my heart could burst! You made me into some sappy, mushy, babbling mother."

"I did not!" Ignis protested.

"Do you mind kissing me? I've been chugging on ice and my own saliva for the last 15 hours or so and I feel like I exploded from my…"

He cut off her rambling with a feather like kiss, not sure how far he could go. She sounded so vulnerable, felt so fragile. He wasn't sure where Amadeus was in her arms, he was scared but exhilarated at the same time. He wanted to hear more about their son, he wanted to process the idea they had a son.

"That doesn't qualify as a kiss," she objected when he parted from her.

He wove his fingers through her hair, kissing the bad breath off her, wondering if she could taste the coffee on his tongue, amazed to realize he almost loved her more than he used to before. How was that possible?

"Give me your hand," she asked him.

"Aranea…"

She might have forgotten, but he remembered the nurse and the doctor who were still in the room with them. The procedure wasn't over yet, but it seemed they could catch a breather and he resigned himself to more public display of affection, raising his less crushed hand.

"I want you to see him," she told him.

"What?"

She guided his hand closer to her, closer to their tiny newborn son, until his fingers touched his small fist, and traced the length of his arm. Ignis' eyelashes darted open even wider as he realized just how small he was. The skin was soft and warm. An elbow, a shoulder. The shell of an ear so ridiculously small. Aranea held his hand to guide his thumb over their baby's face.

"His cheek. His chin. His nose, his forehead," she told him, careful and gentle.

She was detailing it all with her eyes as she hoped Ignis could picture their son a little more clearly in his mind. He wasn't a concept and a name anymore. He was a little being, so small she could hold him with only one arm, so precious she wanted to shake away her new fears and hide him somewhere the night couldn't reach him.

"How dare you call him ugly?" Ignis teased her, his voice shifting a bit from the emotion.

She wanted to cry as she saw the smile on his face and the tears welling up in his good eye. His scar had to itch awfully, she knew his tears somehow reached the scarred tissues and made him ache when he cried too hard.

"He's ours," Aranea declared.

 _Ours to love and protect and care for like we weren't ourselves._

Ignis leaned his head against hers, wrapping his arm tigher around her shoulders, breathing a _thank you_ against her temple. He wanted to linger in that moment for much longer, because such a soft Aranea was exceptional and he needed this happiness to last. But the magic had to be interrupted.

The doctor had been gently massaging Aranea's belly, in an attempt to get the placenta out of her, as they had both been told about in the few pre-natal classes they went to. Aranea felt some sort of cramps and let out a low gasp when something snapped inside. Her doctor looked crossed and she shivered.

"Tell me I'm done…" she pleaded.

The doctor didn't answer, the easy, certain look on his face gone. Ignis instantly felt something was wrong. Aranea wouldn't tense like that otherwise.

"What's happening with me?" she insisted, her voice high-pitched with distress.

"It seems parts of the placenta are missing. A good quarter of it if I'm not wrong. You can't stay like this, Aranea."

"Why would the placenta be broken? Is our boy alright?" she instantly asked, her eyes widening as she held Amadeus closer to her.

"Stuff like this happen sometimes, your baby is fine. We need to focus on you right now."

The nurse took the infant with an apology, the boy whining a bit, but weakly so. He had to be just as spent as his mother.

"I need to make sure your uterus is clean and intact. I know you don't feel it right now, but you're still bleeding, and you could go into serious hemorrhage if we don't react quickly. You fought many battles in your line of work. Could there be any uterine scar in there?"

"Not that I know of! Why didn't the scans see anything? What are you going to do with me?"

Ignis recognized her panic. Aranea hated hospitals for a reason. She had been with the empire for most of her life and subjected to a few experiments that had left her scared of doctors to the point he usually had to bully her into keeping her yearly appointment.

"I'm going to make a manual examination of your uterus," the man started. "There's no need to panic, I've done this procedure many times before. We'll put you under general anesthesia and…"

"No way, I don't want your freaking arm inside me! No one is putting me to sleep, I…"

"Aranea, calm down," Ignis asked her.

He remembered Prompto reading him something before about this… After being properly bribed to do it, of course. He recalled the name… Placenta retention. Risk of infection, hemorrhage, potential hysterectomy in case of complications. Prompto had belched and refused to read anymore about it and Ignis had decided better to let it go. The probabilities for it were incredibly low anyway. But now it was happening.

"Don't tell me to calm down, I don't… I just want my baby."

"I know, Aranea," Ignis tried to calm her and bring her back to her senses, "but your baby is going to need his mother, not just me. This could lead to serious complications for you. And I _can't_ lose you."

"I know. I…" she paused, as though she saw something in his eye and understood how worried he was for her. "Okay," she resigned herself to reason. "Do you really have to put me to sleep?" she asked the doctor.

"Miss Highwind, I haven't heard of any woman keeping their cool during this procedure. It's highly invasive and from what I just heard, you would try fighting back, which could lead to either of us getting hurt."

She was pale and gave a brief look to Ignis, fighting against the quivering of her lips.

"I'm not crying, Iggy. I'm just very tired. Do what you have to do so I can walk out of here with my family," she added to the doctor.

Ignis hadn't expected such dread as he walked out of her room for the second time. The procedure shouldn't be long, but he wasn't needed for it and the nurse had brought Amadeus to the nursery. He dragged his feet to the waiting room, thankful to find Prompto and Gladiolus still there. The guys only needed one look at his face to understand something was wrong and while Prompto rushed by his side, Gladiolus instantly shooting to his feet, the first question came out a lot gentler than their usual panic regarding their friend. As though they were afraid he would break if they were too loud or direct.

"Iggy… What's … what's happening?"

"The baby's doing fine," he said, wondering how he couldn't find comfort in those words. "But there's a complication with Aranea. She should be… She has to be… If she doesn't, I… I can't even finish a sentence anymore, bloody hell! She's turned me into a rambling, confused mess of a father!" he tried to laugh at himself.

"So… you _are_ a dad now," Prompto tried, knowing it wouldn't help.

"I don't want to be one without her!" Ignis muttered through clenched teeth.

"She'll be alright, Iggy. Aranea is the toughest girl I know. And my Crowe can take down a freaking Bendersnatch on her own."

"I'm… I should…"

"Iggy, it's okay. You're terrified at the idea something could happen to her," Prompto told him, putting one arm around his shoulders. "But things are going to be alright. What goes around comes around and you're owed all the good things in this world."

"If I hadn't agreed to her idea…" Ignis started.

Gladio scowled.

"Don't think like that. You wanted this kid as much as she did, you're just looking for ways to hit yourself on the head. Sit down man. Tell us what's going on."

Ignis managed to sit down and to control the shaking in his hands. But the trembling in his shoulders was too strong and he could hear her voice again when she'd panicked and tried to hide between his arms. _"I don't want your freaking arm inside me!"_ Who in their right mind could want that?!

 _She could die. She could die and then you'd be left with a baby, knowing you need to hold on until Noctis has the nerves to show up again._

He slumped in his chair, pulling on his hair as he tried to hold down his growing panic.

 _Just be safe, be safe, and I don't care what they have to remove from you or if you have a new scar. Don't leave me alone in this darkness. I'll carry you around in it, I'll find a path for you in this void, I'll keep you safe and I'll cook all the seafood you want. Just be safe._

…

The procedure went well, the bleeding kept to a minimum and while Aranea's breathing was a bit rushed, she sounded well enough for Ignis to hope she would be fine.

"We'll keep her here for the next few days to make sure everything is fine and then you three can go home," the doctor assured.

"Can I see my baby?"

"Rest first, we'll bring him to you in a few hours. Don't make me sedate you. That's one tough woman you found, mister Scientia."

Ignis wasn't sure how to answer that, with his voice still gone and his nerves so raw, he couldn't remember walking up to this new room. He managed a fragile smile, because he knew just how strong she could be. Her hand felt too light in his palm and he needed to touch her face, to find the frown, or the tears he could only guess, knowing his fingertips might just take them away.

"I want my boy with me," Aranea insisted, her voice sounding like a shadow of herself. She was fighting against the remaining effect of the anesthetic and the nurse herself had commented on the fact she was already awake. "Can he at least be in this room? His father didn't even get to hold him yet."

Ignis wasn't sure he was ready for that, but the shiver in her voice brought new thoughts to his mind. Was she worried he could resent their son for the state she was in? Did she think the connection wouldn't take if they didn't bring them the baby in the next hour? There was something urgent and broken about her and he could tell this wasn't the childbirth she had in mind. After all these months spent trying and hoping, all these months wondering and wishing to finally meet the little guy, she only had a few minutes with him?

"Aranea…"

"I know I sound needy…" she sighed.

"And it's fine," he cut her off. "You gave birth not so long ago," he reminded her.

She let out a long breath, her hand turning limp in his as she sat back on her pillows. All her movements were slow, hindered by the pain and the remnant of the sedative they gave her.

"This isn't how I had imagined this."

"Well, if you want a gift, it's not too late to ask."

He heard her smile as she denied him his urge to spoil her.

"I don't need anything but my boy. And you," she quickly added. "I'm really glad you're here."

He couldn't control the blush that came to his cheeks.

"Now you're too sweet. I could grow fond of that."

"Please don't. I don't want to turn into the cheesy stay at home mom."

"It's not like I could keep you home when Amadeus will be old enough to walk." He knew Aranea wanted to stay with their son at least until that point, but Cor had insisted that they needed her in the field as soon as possible. Ignis went on, "I'll probably have to take him with me to the council while you get your fill of missions again."

"Monica would like that. Careful or she will steal this cutie from under your nose."

"I thought he was ugly?" Ignis teased her.

Having a normal talk with her seemed to do them both a lot of good with all the accumulated stress and its aftermath.

"Don't call my baby that!" she exclaimed, faking outrage.

Said baby was brought into the room not much longer afterwards and Aranea's attention focused entirely on him. Ignis couldn't hold it against the little guy. He was fascinated by Amadeus himself. Suddenly, there was a little man he could devote himself to without fearing that he'd ever be taken away by royal duties or his real family. They were together now.

…

Settling back into their life was strange. Amadeus had the weirdest sleeping patterns, even though Ignis knew things wouldn't change for the better during the first few months. It wasn't all bad, in fact. Whenever he held his boy, the advisor went through the same set of stages. At first, there was fear, because his idea of the baby was still an approximation. His head was fragile, his limbs were so small, but whenever Ignis held him, Amadeus seemed to calm down. That was when the second stage kicked in. When he started believing he was in the right place. That he could actually pull this off.

Aranea insisted it was in the way he held the baby, maybe because he needed the contact to fully understand how to better hold him. Being blind had opened a whole new side of life to Ignis and he barely ever wore his gloves anymore. He needed to feel the world around him in order to catch glimpses of it.

Amadeus's hair was so soft, and his chubby fingers felt strong despite how ridiculously small they were. Ignis had taken the habit of gently resting one hand on top of his chest as he fell asleep, following the tiny raise and fall induced by his constant breathing. He had been scared of losing him in the first few weeks, what with the numbers Prompto had reluctantly read to him. Now, the boy wouldn't find sleep unless he could feel his father's presence somehow.

"You really understand him well," Aranea whispered, "I hope you never come late from work again though," she added, the teasing clear in her voice.

Somehow, that brought a third stage. The moment when Ignis wondered how fast Amadeus would grow and how quickly he could adapt to these changes. He'd always wondered about the future, but now it seemed even more important. And he wanted the present to last longer, even if it meant that Noctis wouldn't show yet. He might not see Amadeus's first smile or the look in his eyes when he'd walked for the first time. But he was going to hold him up and make sure as few bumps as possible would wait on the road of his life.

When their boy was awake, he couldn't be left on his own, crying unless he was held by either of his parents. Prompto really liked cuddling the little tyke, while Gladiolus had looked worried of hurting the small thing with his big hands.

"You won't break him, big buy, our son is made tough."

"The son of a dragoon and royal advisor," Gladiolus mused. "What will that kid turn into..."

"Are you already thinking of training him?" Ignis asked with a smile.

"I'm the one training our baby!" Aranea instantly protested.

"Oh come on, I'm the best trainer there is. I whipped Prompto into shape!"

Prompto puffed his cheeks in an offended manner, since he couldn't jump to his feet with Amadeus sitting in his lap.

"Excuse me?! I trained like crazy way before you pulled me into your stupid gym."

"That's why you're still a scrawny thing with noodle arms."

"You're out of proportion, guys like Iggy and me can't have that many muscles," Prompto groaned. "You'd better not give Madeus a complex. You hear me, kid?" He went on, lifting the baby so he could pretend he was looking him in the eyes. "Uncle Prompto doesn't care how tall or how large you'll be in a few years. All bets are off, with such a small mom and a tall dad."

Aranea seemed ready to take offense, but Amaedus cut off the debate, letting out a plaintive cry which quickly turned into cries. Ignis knew those by now and Aranea was pretty certain of the cause for it, seeing as it had been three hours since the boy's last drink.

"Well, it sounds like nephew Madeus wants his meal. Give him here," the dragoon asked.

Both Gladio and Prompto seemed ready to turn around, but the former commodore laughed at their unease.

"I'm not going to flash either of you, gentlemen, don't worry."

Their conversation fell into questions about the latest change in Hammerhead and the slow reopening of Galdyn Quay in Lestallum.

"Say Prompto, I heard you were one of the regulars at the Galdyn Port," Ignis observed.

"He's blushing, Iggy," Aranea commented, her smile clear in her voice.

"Hey, that's not fair, I already said I didn't want video description when I visited!" Prompto objected.

"Come on, it makes my life easier," the advisor reminded him.

"And why are you even flushing like that, Prom?" Gladio asked. "Was Iris telling me the truth when she said you weren't with Cindy anymore?!"

"I never really was with Cindy. I just cut whatever we had off. Not that this has anything to do with… Oh, hell. Coctura has been struggling with the other restaurants already in place and needed help for her publicity. I'm just helping her."

"Is that his left foot jumping that I hear?" Ignis asked.

Gladiolus clicked his tongue the positive and Prompto hung his head. He was so bad at hiding things from them.

"Alright, I might also be going out with her. We had one date so far, so I don't know if I can put a label on this."

"You fell back on your feet pretty fast," Aranea commended him. "Sounds like our gunman is growing."

Ignis chuckled, picturing the sheepish look on Prompto's face in his mind. A sudden yelp on his right made him raise one brow in alarm, only for his girlfriend to calm him.

"Your son thinks I'm made of plastic again," she chided him, trying to rub the sore spot on her chest under the blanket.

"That sounded like it hurt," Prompto whispered, taken aback.

Gladiolus simply tried not to laugh, because seeing the strong, independent and super tough Aranea yelping out of nowhere was pretty amusing to him. He only managed to stiffle his sneering until he reached the bathroom, where his laugh exploded in a roar that made Aranea's brows furrow while Prompto shrugged, Ignis heaving a smile.

"Some of us just don't grow up, I guess," he tried to defend his friend.

"Well, this man-child is not leaving with any leftovers from dinner," the dragoon decreeted.

To be continued…

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A big thank you to Fuzzi Fox for helping me be more accurate regarding the medical stuff and also the english. :) This chapter's theme was pretty much childbirth, and the next one will cover the early years of Amadeus Scientia Highwind. (Stupeo is way to much S in his initials to my liking.) You can expect smut in next chapter, because being a family doesn't mean that Ignis and Aranea have to stop being a couple. Please review to let me know what you think and what you'd like to see happening next in there.


	4. Chapter 4

It's been so long since I updated on this story! I am moved to my new place, almost fully installed and quite happy as my life is settling back under my control, and my control alone. Sorry for the slice of life. In today's chapter, we have smut, adorableness and family moments! Enjoy!

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Web of the heart

Chapter 4 – We can still love each other, right?

It was late afternoon on a weekend day when the couple found themselves snuggling close in their bed, Amadeus sleeping in the nursery for one of the first times. Aranea had insisted on keeping him close to her at all time, even though their small apartment was getting cramped from all the added baby stuff. They'd slept in late, letting the baby dictate their schedule, reading a book together -which meant Aranea had been reading while Ignis was listening- and now they were both enjoying lazy quality time. Ignis couldn't remember when he'd last _touched_ his girlfriend and let the few strokes and caresses turn into kisses, starting with one earlobe as he pulled her closer. Their son was about 2 and half months old now. It was hard to tell if their life would get under control again.

Ignis was still stuck with a dozen crazy tasks on the city council. Monica had fallen ill recently, which meant Cor was a mess at the moment -Gladio had his hands full trying to get the man to function- and Prompto had accepted a position on the council. The medical supplies were running low and their only factory was going on strike, with a couple other places. Low resources and rations were making the people a lot more irritable lately. Saying Ignis wanted some sort of comfort or an outlet would have been a gross minimization of his current state. He was starving for affection, the type of affection a cooing baby or drunk friends couldn't satisfy. He didn't want to push Aranea around, but he'd been patient and had somehow expected her to jump him at some point, like she did during her pregnancy.

It seemed he would have to be direct now.

"I have a confession to make," he whispered against her collarbone. "I'm horny."

Her instantaneous laugh reminded him of much better lines he'd used in the past, but he refrained from frowning, nuzzling her neck and tugging just enough on her shirt to reach skin.

"You're serious?" Aranea understood.

He didn't like the sudden edge to her voice.

"Why wouldn't I be serious? You're warm and soft and the baby's asleep. Do you have any idea how much I've missed you?"

She blinked, but what he noticed was how she tensed ever so slightly.

"Really? You've missed the dairy central?"

"I've missed _you_ , Aranea," he objected, his voice drawing out his following words. "Your skin, your legs around me, your voice."

She shivered as his hands snaked under her clothes. She didn't like the new, tiny bumps on her skin, where it had been stretched too much. She wanted to welcome his attention with open arms, but a part of her was terrified. She'd stopped bleeding a while back, but her breasts were swollen and sore, she was losing her hair to the point she wondered if her scalp wasn't showing and to her own chagrin, she found herself thanking the Astrals Ignis was blind.

"Iggy…"

Her sigh held as much promises as warnings and he wondered if he could get her tension to vanish somehow. He didn't have a plan as he started with the "horny confession", but it seemed he needed to work his angle a little.

"Alright, routine check," he started. "Are you tired?"

"Always," she chuckled.

"Headache?"

"No."

He kissed her chin and smiled as her hands finally reached for him.

"Are you making sure I have none of those "typical" excuses to refuse you?"

She'd never used those excuses either, Aranea was always straight to the point, sometimes crudely so and he felt sheepish.

"I don't want to impose, but I'm really not used to you being so passive," he admitted.

Aranea swallowed, wondering if she was still entirely herself. She'd never been scared of sex before. And Ignis was one of the best, if not _the_ best, lover she'd had. Heck, she'd missed him too, even though she was often too tired to want anything else than a kiss or a hug.

"I feel like I've changed somehow. The last thing inside me was a freaking hand…"

His lips halted on her neck and his fingers stopped their gentle dance on her body, leaving her cold and wanting for more. Had she forgotten her own desires, too taxed with the fact she needed to answer to their son's needs?

"If we wait longer, do you think the fear will subside?" Ignis asked her, genuine in his worry.

"I'm not… I don't want to be scared! I'm Aranea fucking Highwind, Commodore and master hunter. I eat Behemoth for breakfast!"

He approved her words with a rumble in his throat, lifting himself on his forearms to tower above her.

"You know I love you, don't you?" he whispered.

He could feel her nod and tasted a full smile on her lips when she pulled him down to her. Their nose brushed, the touches gentle, tentative. He was careful of where he put pressure on her, even though his fingers wanted to squeeze and fondle every of her curves. Their tongues fought and danced, the kisses stretching into moans. The tension started building up inside her, a mix of uncomfortable thoughts and needs. She fought against her doubts, holding him closer.

"I love you, Ignis. And I don't remember the last time we kissed like this."

She'd missed it. She'd missed him more than she'd realized.

"Too long ago… You're still pretty tense. How about I work my magic on you?"

She blushed, because she knew what that meant. A breathy yes and he was pulling her further down the bed, more enthusiastic than usual.

"You're pulling the covers off," she protested as he removed her pants, planting a kiss on her left hip.

"I'll put them back later," Ignis promised her. "Just be mine now, will you?"

He knelt at the foot of the bed, gently parting her legs, his breath sending goosebumps on her inner thighs. It felt so familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.

"What if…"

"Aranea, please. I won't rush you."

She was a mess of nerves already and the first contact made her gasp. Ignis was true to his words, taking his time as he kissed the inside of one thigh, working on unknotting her tensions, teasing her with butterfly caresses and the tip of his tongue. Aranea entertained the idea of explaining to him how she felt inside, like a dry desert. She'd bled so much, sometimes, she wondered if she'd really stopped. Was there anything left in there? Hadn't some parts shifted? Wouldn't it hurt? Or worse, would she not feel anything? Those were silly fears, but she wasn't sure she understood herself anymore. Then he did something that usually drove her mad with pleasure. And the violent jolt that went through her system erased most of her fears. She almost whimpered.

"Oh! Why didn't you warn me?!"

"And miss the sounds you make?" he retorted, his lips not entirely parting from her clit, sending more shivers up her spine.

She wondered if he had any idea what it did to her, the sight of his face right there as he devoured her, thoroughly toying with her nerves till she was left panting and begging for more. The fact they hadn't gotten intimate in a while made him even more intent on pleasing her, but she had the suspicion he was a bit impatient too. He couldn't wait to fully taste her, and his hands were holding her to him with a possessiveness he rarely showed. Aranea wasn't one to let herself go and she'd always found it hard to give herself up to him. It was easier in their every day life, but throwing her head back and surrendering herself to the mere sensations he was giving her…

She couldn't remember the last time she'd accepted that, or how good it felt when she actually gave up. Her toes curled, and her hips trashed in a wild, unrefined manner. She was shocked to realize her muscles weren't answering her like she wanted at first, because things were a bit different after all. Ignis pulled away from her at the first shudders of orgasm, his fingers gently taking over to make sure she would ride the entire wave.

"Ig…"

"Was that so bad?"

"Shut up!" she managed, struggling to back away from him and regain some sort of composure.

"Sounds like I'm rusty," he teased her, allowing her to move only to follow her back on the mattress.

"You're still entirely dressed, Iggy. Don't you want me?"

"I thought that was apparent."

"Show me," Aranea demanded.

"What?"

"I haven't seen you naked in forever," she reminded him.

Ignis felt put on the spot but accepted to play her game. He got rid of his shirt and managed to remove his pants and boxer in a gesture that somehow seemed dignified. Her eyes on him still felt too heavy and he grunted at the first brush of her fingertips on him. The first stroke made him groan and he knew he wouldn't control himself if Aranea went all out on him. He wasn't sure he wanted control at this point, he was about to crawl out of his own skin if it meant feeling more of her.

"Lie on your back. Not on that side," she directed him, "there's no place, here…"

Aranea had switched sides with him since the childbirth and he was still trying to get used to it. It had happened a few times that he'd fall off the bed, forgetting himself in the middle of amorous activities and he'd come to accept a degree of patronizing from her if it meant less bruising interruptions. She gave him an experimental squeeze that turned her name on his lips into a pathetic moan and couldn't help the smile on her face. Realizing Ignis had waited until he'd reached his very limit was flattering, while also disheartening somehow.

"I can still satisfy you, you know, you should have told me before…"

"I didn't want… Shit, slow down," he pleaded.

Aranea loved rushing him. He wasn't sure how she stood or sat next to him, she kept shifting around, but her hands never left his cock and she was taking pleasure in every of his quick pants or the shuddering breath when she'd switch her rhythm. He felt her knee on his arm, a message she wanted him to give himself up entirely to the moment and he complied. It felt like reconnecting after so much time apart.

He was a rightful mess by the time she halted her ministrations, leaving him hanging, on the brisk of reason and without closure. The need turned to misery on his features and he sounded indignant as he struggled to keep his voice down.

"What?!"

"You got me worked up now and I know you, Iggy," she teased him. "I don't think I can wait a few minutes until you…"

He tackled her to the bed, gripping her hip with one hand and her shoulder with the other. She yelped at the sudden motion, realizing his patience had reached its limits.

"Iggy…"

"I didn't mean to make you wait so much, but I'm trying to be gentle with you, Aranea."

His hazed eye was shifting between lust and doubt. He'd meant to be soft and tender but now he was raw need and her voice did things to him, not to mention the feel of her hands on his shoulder blades. He kissed her roughly, struggling to keep himself in check. Her hands crept down his back and drew more shivers from him. She felt tensed under his touch, tensed in all the wrong places, but her hips jerked, encouraging him.

"I don't know if I can last long," he warned her.

"We'll just have to try and see, don't we?"

There was faked bravery in her words and he kissed her once more, finding some of his patience back. She was scared, and he wanted to reassure her and remind her how good they were together. Sadly, Aranea didn't always have the best coping mechanisms when she was scared.

"Are you in yet?" she asked him cheekily.

Ignis blinked at her, his own question not fully escaping his throat. His male pride was hurt, and he couldn't hold back anymore. She gasped at the sudden thrust, her arms tightening around him.

"I'm sorry, I _feel_ you, I'm sorry," she managed, making him feel ashamed of himself as she trembled against him.

"I really, really didn't mean to do that," he sighed against her neck. "Stop driving me insane."

"I thought it was my job."

Now he could hear something that dangerously sounded like pain on her voice and it killed him inside.

"Are you okay?"

His hand brushed her face, as he tried to picture her expression. Much to his surprise, she was smiling at him.

"Aranea?"

"When you're too soft on me, I feel more fragile," she told him. "And while you really should move again, I'm sort of glad… You're the only thing I want…"

She'd forgotten how he felt inside. How he brought her completion when most men felt like intruders. Aranea seemed ready to give him details regarding the where and how she wanted him exactly, but Ignis's resistance could only take so much. He claimed her mouth for a new kiss, letting his body reacquaint itself with hers.

He tried to keep his motions slow, to monitor the noises coming from her. Good gasp, bad whine. The way she tensed and arched. Without his eyes, he'd come to recognize her voice, even when it shifted so far from her usual tones. The sounds only he could hear. She felt soft and warm and his hands lost themselves on her. Aranea dug her nails in his skin, giving him the love scars he'd come to appreciate. The burning ache she felt turned into a slow but steady wave of rapture. His jerks were becoming erratic and so did his panting and she prepared herself for his release, knowing she might be left wanting. She already felt good enough as it was, but Ignis shifted his hold on her, pulling her closer, one of his hands on the small of her back. The wave overflowed her senses and she cried out, her hips almost trashing against his.

"This… Keep holding me like…"

"This way?" he asked, teasing in his voice as he shifted against her.

The bliss threatened to recede, and she whimpered her protest, her hands gripping to his sides, instantly getting what she wanted. There was no control left in Ignis by then, his body begging for release and Aranea wasn't sure her mind could think straight as her muscles convulsed around him. She didn't control herself like she wanted yet, not perfectly at the very least, but the shuddering in her flesh ended him.

They held on each other as they tried to keep their voice down, his groans turning into downright moans, her sigh more of a shout. Ignis had a suspicion that if it wasn't for the baby sleeping in the next room, she might have howled with pleasure.

He laid his forehead against hers, looking for his breath, wondering if he wasn't crushing her under his weight. How were his arms still holding him up when he felt this spent?

"Wow… How long did we wait?"

"We're no waiting this long again if we can help it!" he instantly warned her.

She shivered at the sight of his grin. He looked younger somehow, as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. She toyed with his bangs, pushing the sweaty hair back, smiling as he bent to kiss her lips, her chin, her collarbone. It made her tremble from being oversensitive.

"Iggy…"

"I missed you so damn much," he confessed.

She smiled at him, instantly chiding herself and telling him she was beaming.

"Are you?" Ignis couldn't help but ask.

"Well, you really do have some magic in that body of yours," she teased him.

…

Ignis found himself working more often than he wanted and not spending quite enough time at home. He couldn't see Amadeus's various baby steps for himself, but he still wanted to be around for them. Aranea's patience ran thin on a few days, but they were both short on sleep, not to mention the tension among the entire city. Ignis had given up work for the day, suggesting his partner take a few hours to herself while he looked after their boy. They had enough leftovers not to worry about dinner for once and the dragoon locked herself in the bathroom with music, a book, scented candles and a warm bath.

The scented candles were a gift from Prompto that had made Aranea laughed at first. Now she insisted she was only using them to get rid of them faster, but Ignis suspected she appreciated the relaxing scent. It was quite sophisticated for the times they were living in.

Amadeus was two and a half months old and felt too small for comfort, while his doctor insisted his growth was perfectly normal. Aranea fretted about not feeding him enough, although she was up all day to answer the baby's needs. Ignis had changed him, a feat he was still mastering. There weren't a lot of babies in his immediate entourage for him to practice, but Aranea had been quite encouraging and trusting, which made him realize how little he trusted himself even though he'd overcome much more difficulties than he'd ever expected himself to.

The baby laid in his arms, nestled comfortably on his chest, leaving a spot of dribble on an otherwise perfectly clean shirt. And Ignis really didn't mind. They both felt too warm and exhausted. Amadeus had had a rough night, barely catching two hours of sleep, which meant both of his parents had had even less time to rest. A part of Ignis had hoped to prepare dinner in advance because Aranea needed the best meal he could prepare. She felt so frail some mornings, he was afraid she was the one he should be taking to the doctor more often.

His ears tuned to nothing but Amadeus's breathing, and he tried to slow down his thoughts. No use worrying about the potential change of currency and how gil was losing any value. He had been receiving a lot of gifts thanks to his place on the council and although his pride refused to dab in anything of the sort even if the gratitude was genuine, he'd changed ever since Aranea became pregnant. He had always wanted to prepare for the future, to foresee every possible outcome, and have a plan waiting for the right occasion to unfold. But the baby factor made his priorities shift. If gils kept going down in value, he would need another way to provide for his family. Aranea didn't demand much, she had once entertained the idea of living in her airship if Lestallum became too crowded.

His son let out a high-pitched scream out of nowhere, scaring the daylights out of him.

"Good lords, Madeus, are you too warm?"

Their air conditioner had died and needed replacing, another problem Ignis wished already solved, although Aranea had insisted she'd take care of it. He had a suspicion she was looking for more control since her life was now ruled over by such a tiny human.

"Is everything okay?" Aranea called from the bathroom.

From the splashing sound he heard, Ignis knew he didn't have long before a worried mother snatched the baby from his hands. He ran his fingers along Amadeus's back, wondering if they had a thermometer. Not like he could use it himself, thanks to the Kings of old and their ring. His boy felt too warm, and he could sense tension in him, the first scream fading into pure apathy. He'd been laxed before, but now it felt as though the boy lacked even the energy to utter a sound. He'd read about those signs.

"Might be a fever," Ignis offered, shifting his hold on the baby.

He was up and about an instant later, but Aranea was already out of her bath, a towel hastily wrapped around her, asking for her son.

"It _might_ be a fever?" she repeated. "He's burning up."

"Well, we all are," he reminded her, regretting the sharpness of his tone immediately.

"Don't snap at me, specs," the dragoon warned him.

That nickname was never good when it came from her and Ignis did his best to reign himself in. Amadeus was their pride and joy, but they were both still trying to get used to how distressing it could be when he cried and they couldn't find the reason why. He also knew that a fever for such a young child could be dangerous. So did Aranea.

She hummed gently to the baby, her words nothing but venom when she spoke to him.

"How come you didn't realize something was wrong earlier?"

"How about we focus on making him feel better right now? If it's a fever, I have a remedy…" His voice trailed off as she huffed.

"Should we even give him a remedy? It's made out of energy drinks…"

Ignis hadn't thought of it, but then again, it wasn't like drugs adapted for babies were still on the market.

"I've never had to wonder whether they kept their original properties along with the healing factors…"

"Ignis, do you really believe this is the time for scholarly questions? Our baby's sick!"

He was trying to find a solution for it, but in all his careful preparations and planning, Ignis hadn't taken into account the possibility of sickness. Surely nothing as trivial could reach his child? But in the three past years of darkness, Ignis had never found himself wondering about who to call in case an infant was sick.

 _He's not old enough yet,_ he thought, his face barely showing how worried he was deep down. His partner was too frantic already to add more stress on her shoulders.

"Meat broth could…" he started.

Amadeus was clearly uncomfortable no matter how his mother held him, and the poor dragoon barely contained her fear. She didn't want to lose him now. Or ever.

"I've seen babies shaking from a fever, eyes revulsing, convulsing… Call his doctor, Iggy."

The number was already half dialed by the time she gave him her command and the brief talk confirmed Ignis's suspicions. They had better go right to the hospital. They argued about the fact Aranea needed to get dressed, since she didn't want to let go of Amadeus, but Ignis couldn't exactly dress her. At least not when she was in such a state. They argued about who should carry their son, and then about how Ignis had even gotten a remedy to begin with.

"It was a donation," he admitted.

"A donation? Since when do you take donation?"

He had a dozen arguments, but the impatient click of her tongue and the fact she was talking to him over her shoulder drove him to silence. Aranea had never made him feel quite as much like a drag.

He could hear her sharp breathing, the beating of her hastily tied together wet hair against her back and nothing from Amadeus. If he'd held his boy, he would perceive his small heart beating. He loved that sound. A constant reminder that those small sounds, those small hands weren't something he was dreaming up. If anything happened to him…

They weren't left to wait in line as they arrived, the nurses immediately asserting the situation. Aranea was instructed to try and nurse Amadeus, since the skin to skin contact would help the boy feel better. Being so young, his fever might be the indication of an infection. It was a struggle to get the groggy boy to latch on and Aranea couldn't help her nervousness rising as she observed how unlike himself their baby was acting.

It was their first big fright regarding their son, the following hours leaving them on edge and it was only after the fever fell that they started calming down.

"It's an ear infection. We've run out of antibiotic drops a few months ago, but warm oil should do the trick," their doctor explained.

"Is it normal for a child so young to have an infection like this?" Aranea asked.

Ignis knew she wanted to ask what they had done wrong, but their son would get sick time and again, they couldn't blame themselves every time. The doctor reassured both parents. Amadeus was clearly cared for, all they needed was to keep a close eye on him, since babies have difficulty managing their own temperature. On the walk back home, Aranea barely talked, keeping her baby close, humming to calm him down. She surprised Ignis by making that throaty sound that signaled she wanted to hold his hand. She literally paused in her steps as she realized Ignis wasn't sure he was interpreting her signal right.

"I'm not going to bite," she promised.

The words that came to his mind were too intimate to be said in the middle of the street. He had felt so helpless as she'd panicked. He held her hand tentatively. Their son was still light, but he knew Aranea carried him with the utmost care. She'd confessed having a few nightmares about dropping him and he couldn't help but wonder. Wasn't this taking a risk she'd rather not take normally, only to make him feel better?

They hadn't taken a lot of walks outside with the baby, they had yet to find a stroller despite putting both Prompto and Gladio up to the search. With all the trash lying around despite Ignis's new and reinforced law regarding loitering and hygiene, it was hard to walk side by side in the smaller streets. Baby items weren't a priority in the first years after the eternal night started and Aranea had tried making those baby carriers she'd commented on. In her frenzy, she'd forgotten her baby-wrap, which she used every time she took Amadeus with her to go shopping. Ignis kept the boy at home with him whenever he could, but the city council still needed him more often than he'd like.

"Madeus is perfectly balanced, I'll let go if he squirms. He's calmed down."

"He must be exhausted," Ignis whispered, giving a light squeeze to her hand.

By the time they got home, their baby was half asleep, snuggled against his mother's chest like a teddy bear and Ignis wasn't sure which one of them he wanted to hold more. He went for a gentle kiss on her forehead, running his fingers along the boy's arm.

He wanted to ask her why she'd never mentioned babies on the streets from her youth in the empire. He knew she'd been living in an army base for most of her life, but the time before that base was nebulous. He couldn't exactly ask for answers since he barely confided about his own past. It was so deeply related to Noctis, it hurt too much.

"Ignis…" Aranea started. She paused long enough for him to reach one hand to her face, and only then did he hear her restrained sob.

Amadeus was lying in his crib, quiet despite being warmer than usual. His mother stood just a foot away, her arms making the fabric of her clothes rustle as she held herself.

"He's going to be alright."

"I know. _For now_ , he's alright. I can't take the pictures out of my head. Why did I do this to him? He'll have fevers and colds and he might never see the sun with his own eyes…"

Ignis held on the argument that Noctis would come back and remove the endless night with his sacrifice. That knowledge was too raw, and he was starting to believe among the others, he was the only one who still believed. But he'd seen it. It had been the last thing he'd seen.

"It never was an easy world to live in, but he's got you. And me."

She wanted to protest. She had no magic in her veins, she couldn't fix a bruise unless she had potions and she couldn't…

Ignis wrapped his arms around her, barely keeping his breathing steady. Half of the time, he was terrified when he started wondering about all the bad things that could happen to their boy. He'd looked after one boy before and had ultimately let him walk right to his doom.

 _Not this time. He'll have his own life._

No job as a child, no duty to keep up with, no crazy expectations.

"I'm sorry I panicked earlier," Aranea managed, hating how unlike herself she sounded.

"It's okay, I was worried too," he tried reassuring her, kissing her temples in turns.

"That's where you're supposed to say I didn't panic!"

Her hands were firm on him as she desperately tried to regain her countenance.

"Oh, I'd rather you'd panic. This way I feel forced to stay calm," the advisor explained.

She would have objected loudly, but they were both mindful of keeping their voices down, so she simply pinched his waist in retaliation.

"If you ever imply again that you enjoy seeing me in a panic, I'll punch you, Iggy."

"And I'll surely dodge it," he teased her.

Their son's voice pulled their attention back to him and even though Aranea wanted to be the one looking after him again, she let Ignis lift the baby in his arms. The sight of their boy calming down as his father held him close was enough to pull at her heartstrings a little more. If the man only knew how vulnerable he looked whenever he was taking care of Amadeus.

"Shouldn't you try and resume that relaxing afternoon?" Ignis offered.

It took some convincing, but he made it clear he needed to prove to himself he could look after the boy for more than one hour straight. For the following days, they were both extremely doting with their little one. When Ignis admitted it to his friends, they laughed at him.

"Are you ever anything else with Madeus?" Prompto defended himself when Ignis seemed ready to take offense.

"You're one to talk, uncle Prom. There's so many toys in my home, I can even set my foot down without risking tripping.

Gladiolus wondered how many toys Madeus could even pick up at the moment. The boy hadn't started crawling, he was merely four months old now. Crowe's pregnancy was nearing the end, her belly expanding and her boyfriend growing a little more nervous with every new week.

"Don't tell me about feet," Gladio huffed. "Her feet and ankles are so swollen, I massage them two to three times a day."

Prompto clapped him on the shoulder with enthusiasm.

"I want to sample a massage, do me, do me!"

Ignis rolled his shoulders, ready to second the demand with a more proper wording.

"Massaging my girlfriend is one thing, even when she's a cranky mess of hormones that won't let me touch her unless she tells me to."

"Someone's frustrated," the chocobo lover observed cockily.

He was on cloud nine with Coctura and not quite ready to start a family like his friends.

"Well, maybe she can have a talk with Aranea," Ignis offered.

"About their sex life?"

"Ladies do talk about this too," the advisor said in all seriousness.

The guys knew that pushing any further wouldn't result in any clearer explanation. Ignis had grown more open than before, but not quite that open yet.

Ignis had always found it hard to convey his affection. He was a man of reason, a boy thrown into the adult world too early and as good as he could be with public decisions, he remained awkward behind closed doors unless properly tamed. It was over regarding Aranea, who was equally emotionally stunted. But assuming and expressing the endless love he felt for his son was natural. Almost instinctive. He loved holding him, brushing his hair, the way his tiny hand wrapped around his fingers. He wasn't sure he could go back to a world without that silly looking -according to Gladio- baby harness that kept his boy between his arms while freeing his hands. So when the usual caress resulted in a giggle, Amadeus's very first laugh, Ignis was amazed. It felt like the very first, "I love you back".

To be continued…

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Reviews make me really happy. Amadeus is going to take a few first steps, and not necessarily walking. I just want to keep it as mushy and sweet as possible despite constant angst, since angst is my life. 😉


	5. Chapter 5

I was inspired and then angst took over, so this chapter has fluff, family feels, angst, more family feels and more angst in between. I hope you'll love it!

Web of the heart

Chapter 5 – Catch me when I fall

Ignis had been loaded with work lately and could tell Aranea was a little more on edge every day. For the first five months, Monica had been understanding with him and had let him off easy with a mere 15 hours a week, giving him plenty of time to be with his family. But after the recent -and especially sordid- murder of a construction worker, it seemed that they needed to make new laws and deal with people gone mad from the extended darkness. Most of the details he'd preferred hidden turned up on the radio since people couldn't keep silent in the current times. Aranea was a ball of nerves when he got home that night and Amadeus was just as sensitive as ever to his mother's mood, crying at the smallest raise of voices when he would normally coo and giggle.

Their boy was a nice and surprisingly calm baby. All he needed was either his mother or father around. Well, either parents had to be a in peaceful state of mind too.

"Let me hold him," Ignis offered, meaning to give her a break.

They almost argued and Ignis ended up pulling his girlfriend in his arms while she still held Amadeus, kissing the crown of her head and caressing the boy's forehead in the habit he was slowly developing. The soothing touch calmed the baby, while Aranea relaxed somehow.

It was easy to guess what she was thinking. The victim had been hacked to pieces after prolonged torture. The culprit was still on the loose and every little thing making Lestallum unsafe was enough to turn her full mother hen.

"Aren't you worried?" she asked.

"I am, but I walked home to my family and found both of you are safe. It eased most of my worries. Gladio and Cor are on this case."

"Should the big guy really be out there taking risks? Crowe will have their baby girl any week now."

"Prompto and I tried gluing his behind to a chair and he tore down the entire office."

It was half a joke, half serious and Aranea did relax a bit then. Amadeus raised his head, his aqua gray eyes staring at Ignis's stubble with curiosity. Inspired, the dragoon carefully held their son up so Ignis could be face to face with the boy.

"What are you…?"

"Say hi to daddy, Madeus," Aranea asked playfully.

Baby's hands reached out and Ignis cupped his small face with one hand, his smile growing at the first pull on his visor glasses.

"You're all smiles now that your mother smiles, huh? Little chameleon."

Amadeus clapped his hands excitedly, giggling as his father planted a kiss on his cheek. It was easy to forget their troubles when their boy laughed, and they decided to focus on him for the time being. Aranea insisted on preparing dinner so Ignis could enjoy the task of giving Amadeus a bath. She knew how much of a nightmare it was for him but his excessive fear made it all the more apt for it. There was soap in his hair by the time she was done with the food.

"How do you do that? He can't even crawl yet."

"He likes my hair," Ignis defended himself.

"Or maybe he hates that hairstyle. Your father looks dashing in it, Madeus, how many times should we argue about it?"

The boy raised his hands, grasping at thin air and Aranea felt the familiar pang of sadness as she wished Ignis could see the look in his eyes. She couldn't properly explain how it felt to see their baby's smiles or all the expressions he made. Ignis never asked her to describe these things to him, unlike he had done for her own expressions. Was he missing them all, or could he guess every tiny movement with his acute sense of hearing?

"We might have just made the most adorable being in the world, you know…"

"Why do you sound surprised? His mother is beautiful."

She rolled her eyes at him, unable to fight the blush coming to her cheeks and his cocky smile told her he knew his effect on her. She still felt gross most of the time, even though she was almost back to normal. She'd lost her pregnancy belly and a little more weight than needed, her curves shifting despite her efforts to feed herself if only to keep up with the nursing.

"Eat your food, Iggy."

"Okay. I need to ask you a silly question, but I'd rather that adorable being was asleep."

A dinner interrupted by nursing and a phone call from Prompto later, Aranea felt her fears coming back regarding that murder but Ignis kept her thoughts light with the question he'd hinted at before.

"I don't have to worry about any competition for your heart, right? You're keeping a small part of it free for my person?"

"Fishing for romance? We're not even Friday."

"Don't let me grow boring and predictable," Ignis simply asked, tasting her smile with his lips.

His hands shook on her waist, letting her know he might be more worried about the latest news than he let on. Their kisses started soft and quiet, since they wanted to give the baby more time to reach a deeper sleep, but their need for comfort soon drove them to fiercer touches. They'd both learned to take all the occasions they could get and Aranea whined her approval as he lifted her up, her legs wrapping around his waist instinctively. He took a few tentative steps towards their bed…

"I think I forgot a pile of clothes on the bed," she sighed.

It was so mundane, she would have cringed a few years ago, but keeping up with laundry with one infant and the type of clothes Ignis liked to wear was no easy feat.

"What do you think about the couch?" Ignis suggested.

"I'm riding you if we take the couch."

He laughed at that, pressing on the small of her back to feel her closer despite their clothes, shifting his weight a bit. He hadn't mapped the furniture's position upon entering the apartment and he didn't want to bump her into anything. Their son decided to save his father the trouble, a plaintive sound coming out of his crib.

The pair instantly parted and rushed to his side, Aranea lifting the baby after checking on him.

"He's hungry again," she understood, holding back her sigh.

"That was quick," Ignis commented, hoping his girlfriend wasn't pushing herself.

"Should we nickname him cock block glutton?"

"Dear gods, Aranea. He's still innocent!"

"And he's trying to keep me innocent too!" she teased Ignis before sitting down on the couch which wouldn't see much action tonight.

"Well, you young man have undertaken an impossible task," Ignis declared solemnly. "I commend your ambition."

"Iggy!"

She had a few choice words for him, since the advisor was far from innocent himself, but the only sound escaping her lips after his name was a yelp of pain as Amadeus tried to look around while still latched.

"And you call that innocent?"

"He has no idea what he's doing," Ignis defended him.

Aranea feigned injury and pouted.

"Sounds like you're the one not keeping any free space for my person in your calculative heart."

Amadeus kicked a little and she had to struggle with him to find a good position, the boy calming when Ignis put his hand on his back, leaning close to Aranea.

"I love you, lady A."

"Don't call me that."

"Mother of my child," Ignis insisted.

Her blush nearly went down to her neck and she slapped his knee for good measure.

"You silly man had better stop making me flustered."

…

Ignis had the urge to pace and was holding himself back from it only because he'd tripped on two baby toys this morning. His head still smarted from hitting the corner of the kitchen's table, Aranea insisting he held a bag of ice to the future bump on his skull. They sat at said table for a moment, his partner often making sure he didn't feel sleepy.

"I'm fine," he insisted.

"I didn't like the sound I heard earlier."

"Wait until it's him bumping his head," Ignis warned her.

"I might throw the furniture out the window," Aranea admitted with a light smile.

Amadeus was sitting up in his high chair, drumming his fingers against the tray in a rhythm that made Ignis's headache just a bit stronger. He really didn't mind the sound, because it helped him imagine his boy. His round little face opened in a smile, his soft hair -dirty blond according to Aranea's account, but his friends insisted there were hints of silver in there- pointing up more on one side than another and the way his pudgy fingers would whiten from pressing on the tray in front of him. He couldn't get enough of holding his little hands and feeling them curl around one of his own fingers.

"We have peas and carrots… Carrots might be a bit rough…"

He had already prepared them into purées that even Prompto had declared delicious, but he couldn't help his urge to go with the green vegetable, his brain looking for any silly excuse to forget about the other option.

"It's just food, Ignis, with you as a father, Madeus is going to get a chance to taste everything that has culinary value."

"But it's his first experience of solid food. I want to make it count."

Ignis had been muttering to himself for a while, debating the type of vegetable they should introduce Amadeus to first. Objectively, he knew it was a silly question, but he had had a few nightmares of the baby refusing everything green like Noctis would and he didn't want constant fights with the boy when it came to feeding him. A part of him was convinced that the proper order in the introduction to solid food would warrant a natural love if only tolerance to greens. The fact the few gardens struggled to produce vegetable as their scientists worked tirelessly to make lamps that would emulate the sun's properties didn't help. Everything that grew well in shades came out fine, but with the difficulties they had in getting the proper installation for cattle farming and breeding, they were bound to lack the food they needed in a few years.

"Why don't we just go with peas?"

Aranea had the honor of doing the feeding and had to admit, it was better that way. Amadeus looked like he was going to jump out of his chair after the first taste. The novelty amazed him and his little hands waved up and down frantically, his palms hitting the tray as if to say more, threatening to send the very small bowl of purée flying and Aranea finally understood why feeding a young child was so messy. She couldn't wait to see Ignis attempting it.

"He's definitely a fan of peas."

All Ignis could think was how he needed to bring as many different and healthy food on the table for their little sunshine to try out now. He could hear the smile and the sparkles in the eyes of his son and he knew nursing was heavily sapping Aranea's energy. He wanted to protect them, but he also wanted to provide for them with everything they could need.

…

A call in the middle of the night woke the whole family, Ignis groaning as Amadeus cried in reaction to the sudden startle. It wasn't the advisor's phone ringing, but Aranea's. Crowe was calling for moral support. Iris was in the hospital and so was Gladio. The runaway murderer had been caught. But he didn't follow of his own volition. In fact, Iris had had to shoot him down, and only managed to do so after being stabbed twice. She was clinging to life in the hospital and Gladiolus wasn't in better shape. He'd done everything in his powers to protect his younger sister.

"How are you doing?" Aranea asked to her friend, all her senses on high alert as the news electrified her awake.

Ignis was dressing up Amadeus, neither of the parents ready to stay behind with what was going on. He tried to keep himself together, picking up a set of clothes Aranea had prepared. Even though she didn't care if their baby wore mismatching colors, she had agreed to store their boy's clothes in sets, so Ignis simply had to identify one set as he rummaged through the cupboards.

"How far apart? Are they regular? Of course, it matters, Crowe!"

Ignis had learned to see the different layers of worry in Aranea's tone. There was a new one added to the panic she was already feeling. And he knew just as well as his lady A that Crowe was close to her delivery. Was it going to happen now? With the news the father of her child might very well die the same night their baby would be born?

"I'll send Prompto ahead to meet up with her," Ignis said as he felt Aranea's eyes on him.

Her lips moved, but no sound came out and he had to hope she was comforted. As soon as she hung up the phone, he asked her what Gladiolus's state was and guessed she was shaking her head from the sound of her hair moving against her shirt.

"She only said he got shot. The hospital just called her, there wasn't any cop to send to her place."

Cor was dealing with a daemon attack on an outpost and while the streets should have felt safer…

 _Gladiolus was shot. He's unconscious, between life and death at the hospital. All the while, you were asleep._

Ignis hated himself for wishing he could have felt his friend was in danger, but there was no time for that. He knew rushing to the hospital wouldn't save Gladio if his time had come. He almost wished he'd gotten to see whether the three of them were around Noctis when he'd claim his throne. But all he'd seen was Noctis sitting on the throne. Noctis stabbed and now Iris had been stabbed too and Gladio…

"Iggy…"

Her hand reached for his and they squeezed, hoping they'd give each other some sliver of comfort through it.

"Let's go," he simply said.

Aranea tied Amadeus safely in his baby wrap, trying to keep him calm while Ignis did all he could not to panic. Their only certainty was that the King's shield might not make it through the night.

On their way to Crowe's apartment, Aranea called her friend back, ordering her to stay where she was. Crowe was heavily pregnant and wobbling an awful lot in her normal state. As tough as she was, with the current news, none of her friends wanted her on her own. Especially if her body was undergoing labor. It was already an ordeal to have a baby, but…

Prompto was with Crowe by the time they met up at the apartment. Ignis and Prompto didn't exchange a word, each of them focusing on the future mother. She was in pain, the advisor could hear it, and she admitted the contractions had been running for three hours straight before she even got the news. She was only waiting because she had already been worried about Gladio. They hugged her and insisted on taking the duffelbag she'd prepared for the birth with them, before setting out for the most awful walk of their lives yet.

Amadeus needed sleep but remained wide awake for the entire trek to the hospital. The boy was stressed out by the frantic energy running between the adults around him and he did cry a few times, although it never got to the point of a full crisis.

"He was shot in the chest," Crowe explained for the third time. "I asked him to stay home tonight, but Iris called saying she had a lead and…"

Her voice broke for the nth time and Ignis was left to wonder how they were even putting one foot in front of the other. Prompto and Aranea were walking on either sides of Crowe while he brought the rear. His ears caught all sorts of sounds, but the hiccups coming from Crowe were like nails pushing in the idea Gladio might already be lost.

What was the last thing he'd told his friend? Why did it have to be him going after the murderer? Hadn't they sacrificed enough already?

"Girl, there's been no update, wait until we get there…" Aranea tried encouraging her.

There was no use drawing conclusions, and they didn't want her to stress more than she needed, seeing as she was already fighting against tears and refused to stop even when the contractions made her yelp in pain. When they arrived, it was to learn that Gladio was still undergoing surgery for the bullet received to his chest, which had caused a hemothorax, among other things.

"Inner chest hemorrhage," Aranea told her friends, seeing them frown at the word. The doctor was speaking so fast, they couldn't catch everything he was saying.

Complications were piling up and the situation looked bleak. One of Gladio's lungs had collapsed and while Iris's blood loss had finally been stabilized, her brother was still between life and death. Crowe turned the palest shade of white, clearly in shock. They couldn't see either of the Amicitia's siblings, all they could do was wait and worry more. Crowe insisted on staying in the waiting room for as long as she could, despite the fact her contractions were getting closer and longer.

Aranea did the best she could to change her mind with the help of baby Amadeus, who squirmed and cried unless held by one of the adults in the waiting room. Prompto was a nervous mess, eyes red, always gesturing in a way that unsettled Ignis's hearing. The advisor received a dozen calls in the span of the following hour, about what should be done with this culprit, about the death penalty law that had been pushed forward by the council for the last week. Monica tried reaching him to advocate he couldn't take such a decision, but the rest of city council was trying to have him lean in their favor.

Ignis felt too emotionally compromised in the current matter to take a decision now, even though he had been treading around the idea of prison, all sorts of penalties and many more laws. He had the final word far too often for his liking, even though he tried to keep the decisions democratic. He hadn't realized when he'd gotten this much power, but people had naturally turned to the King's retinue. After having their former ruler and his entourage wiped out by the empire and seeing their entire world on the brink of extinction, people needed stability.

Still, there was a limit to how much stress the man could take. He turned off his phone after the fourteenth call, agreeing to take a brief walk outside with Prompto. Aranea would text the gunman if any news came in and agreed he was allowed a break from his job.

The hospital never slept but the small park next to it, sadly littered with trash bags that would be proceeded eventually, was quiet at this time of the night. Prompto held Ignis's elbow out of habit, always turning more careful of him when he was stressed out.

"I'm not going to trip on my feet or my cane, you know?" Ignis wished to lighten the mood, but Prompto barely apologized, exhaling a shuddering breath.

"How can this be happening Iggy? We got through daemons and Gralea's fortress. When do we get to see the end of this?"

The first thought that came to Ignis was that no one wanted to see the end he knew was coming, but he bit his tongue and gave Prompto more time, reaching for his shoulder. He'd meant to give him a friendly pat, to let him know he was with him and understood, but Prompto wrapped his arms around him, needing far more than a pat.

The hug shook Ignis, scaring him that he'd lose his composure right now when his friend needed him to be strong.

"It's been over four years since we lost Noctis," Prompto started. "He's gone, just gone! We barely ever mention him and now Gladio…"

"I know. But Gladio is alive. And so is Noct."

 _It has to be true. Just let it stay true._

"You always sound so certain…"

Ignis wondered if he'd ever tell him how he _knew_. He had been tempted, but he didn't want to shatter the hopes of his friend. Not when everything else was already so hard to deal with.

"We have to be, don't we?" Ignis started. "Otherwise… I can't think of otherwise," his voice quivered and they both held on to each other tighter.

"I always thought it'd be me getting in trouble," Prompto admitted.

That reminded Ignis of a talk he'd had with Gladiolus not so long ago. The culprit the Amicitias had stopped earlier wasn't the first murderer of Lestallum. But he might have been their first crazy one. The Shield had alluded to a certain degree of fear for his family. He was still getting used to the fact his world wasn't made up of only Iris and his friends now. Ignis knew the constant fear of walking home to a grizzly scene he would be forced to touch, to the metallic smell of blood and a loss he couldn't face, and he knew Gladio had had nightmares for years too. The empire had taken so much and with the Oracle gone and the eternal night, they were all clinging to what little light remained in their lives.

 _He's going to be fine,_ he tried to calm himself. _You're only losing Noctis, not.._

But if Gladiolus died, who would look after Prompto? Ignis could defend himself, but Monica considered him too valuable to let him risk his life. Any of his friends could be lost though.

 _It could be Aranea undergoing surgery and me waiting in despair._

"Wouldn't it be better if I…" Prompto tried explaining his point.

He felt bad and wanted to ease his mind, if he could have taken the bullet for any of his friends, Ignis knew he would do it happily. And the thought scared him even more. Taking one hit for Noctis had meant losing his eyesight. Were each of his friends supposed to make a similar sacrifice?

"You'd better not," Ignis warned as both men took a step back, trying to shake off the panic they felt. "Who else could we trust to babysit Amadeus?"

"You're right. As a proud uncle, I'd better take good care of myself."

They talked for a few more hours before receiving a text from Aranea. Crowe had been moved to the maternity ward.

"Oh gods. Gladio was so excited and flustered for this and now…"

 _It's wrong. It's every kind of wrong,_ Ignis thought bitterly.

Gladio's surgery was completed when they asked at the counter, but they couldn't see him yet and it was hard to tell who they should go look after. Crowe couldn't stay alone, Prompto was a mess, Aranea and Ignis were taking turns to hold Amadeus and the poor thing was growing exceedingly tired but was unable to sleep for more than a few minutes. His parents were too nervous to calm him, so he kept dozing off and would wake up and stir in discomfort again and again. Iris was up and asking after her brother, so the three friends tried to alternate between her room, Crowe's room and the waiting room when their nerves refused to take it anymore.

"Just leave me alone," Crowe asked once more to the dragoon. "I want someone with him when he wakes up. He's going to wake up, right? He's not going to let me deal with…"

"I'm not going anywhere," Aranea objected, her face as white as Crowe's was red from the exertion. "You shouldn't be alone right now."

The tears won and the following contraction wreaked havoc in the brunette. She felt like she would explode from the inside, she was worried about the pressure her baby was under, she felt bad for going into labor now of all moments, she wanted to hold on to the ring Gladio had given her, but she was so swollen everywhere it didn't fit and…

"He should be here. Not for ten hours, but maybe one."

"You know he'd rather be here."

"I shouldn't be angry, he could be… He was so worried about us, he needed to get that guy off the streets…"

Another contraction stole the air from her lungs and Aranea shook her head.

"Focus on this, alright? When it's over and he tries to apologize, I'll tell you you can resent him for playing heroes."

None of them were sure whether the next cry of pain Crowe uttered was due to the childbirth or her emotions betraying her.

…

Ignis had understood from Prompto's gasp that Iris looked bad. He had assumed as much, but her voice was beyond weak when she spoke.

He wanted to ask why she'd only gone with her brother as reinforcement. Why couldn't this wait one more day? But he knew he would have done the same in her shoes. Involving too many people…

Amadeus let out a soft whine, struggling against the wrap and Iris's voice changed.

"How's the little guy… doing?"

"Worried about his favorite aunt."

"I won't tell Crowe you said that," Prompto tried joking around.

"Oh gods, how is she?"

"She's having the baby…"

"It's an invasion!"

"Guys, don't make me laugh!" Iris pleaded.

…

Ignis ended up going back home to feed Amadeus and set him and Prompto to sleep before heading back to the hospital on his own. The labor had lasted 15 hours already and while Gladio was mostly out of danger, visits hadn't been allowed until morning. Ignis doubted he could sleep, even if he should have tried to get a few hours in to better look after each of his friends. It took him a moment to leave his boy, as he made sure to wait until his breathing had slowed and couldn't help touching his forehead and following the rise and fall of his chest for a few minutes.

"He'll be fine," Prompto assured him.

 _For now,_ Ignis thought. _But in a few years, if he grows to be an adult, what work will he aim for? Where will he go? How long until I can't protect him, like I can't protect any of my friends?_

"You look way too dark to go back to the hospital. You'll kill someone just by looking at them," Prompto teased him.

Ignis tried out a smile. Some people sometimes wondered how he didn't forget to smile or change his facial expression, since he couldn't see other people doing it. As though it worked like that.

"I could go back in your stead," the gunman offered.

"Your legs aren't going to hold you for long. You let stress eat you alive. Sleep it off. Just promise you'll wake up if Madeus does."

"I swear on my camera," Prompto declared solemnly.

The jokes were actually helping, so Ignis simply rolled his eyes at him before taking his leave.

…

The walk to the hospital in the dead of night messed with his nerves so hard, he called Crowe by another name and needed a solid minute to collect his thoughts. He started by checking on the girls, but wasn't allowed into the room, for Crowe was in the last miles of childbirth. She didn't scream, but Aranea had left him a few texts so he would stay updated and from the robotic voice reading them for him, their friend was in pain.

He remembered Aranea's pants and the struggle she'd been under while she had him next to her and no reason to believe things would go wrong. Crowe was going through a nightmare.

"How's Gladiolus Amicitia?" he heard himself ask for the nth time after waiting a few more hours with his thoughts spiraling into darkness.

"He's groggy but awake. You can see him if you want…"

Ignis almost took off before asking for the room number. He'd gotten good at making his way in a new building and he'd been to this hospital for more times than he liked to remember.

Walking into the room on his own, he was assaulted by smells and noises. The pungent smell of iodine, accompanied by the metallic taste of blood still in the air, with the overall bleach and other disinfectants stopped him by the door. His nose recognized sweat and a few unmentionables that made him mentally cringe. Ignis's sense of smell was too developed to miss even the faintest hints of a smell. He focused first on the beeping of the machines, and then the breathing of his friend. It was laborious and slower than usual and the grunt that followed as Gladio sensed his visitor was more an outstretched whimpered sigh than a grunt.

"Hey," the Shield croaked. "I want my stars. And one hall of flame."

"You mean hall of fame?"

"Tha…" his breathing hacked over and he rasped, gritting his teeth. Every movement caused pain, his brain was pain on top of pain and he couldn't keep both eyes open for long. The light made him dizzy. "Shit! Iggy…"

"I'm here. And you're the one who looks like shit."

"Funny you should…" Another hacked cough and Gladio gave up on being sassy. "Where's Crowe?"

Ignis hesitated all but three seconds before answering him.

"She's here. Congratulations on nearly being a father."

"My dad's here?"

 _Oh god._

"Gladio…" he started, only to be interrupted again.

"Iris's safe, right? They said… Damn, she'd better not hurt like this."

"She's safe. You should…"

"Good." He let out a wheezing breath, Ignis imagining his frown as he went on. "Who's a dad now?"

"That answer can wait."

"Crowe's… having the baby now?"

Ignis's phone buzzed and he guessed that had to be Aranea.

"Can you stop asking questions and worry about yourself, Gladio?!"

"It hurts," the Shield admitted. "Like something burns on inside. Messy… thoughts, I don't need 'em. How's my girl? Girls, my girls," he corrected himself, drawing out the "s".

"I'm certain they're fine."

"You'll hear my baby girl before me…" Gladio realized. "Feisty Vic. We… we're calling her Victoria."

Ignis sighed. He knew her name already, but he could hear the mix of pain, sadness and fearful amazement on Gladio's voice.

"It's a beautiful name."

"We got the guy, Ig? My girls are…"

"You got him." Ignis assured his friend.

He tried to follow Gladio's jumpy train of thought, but it was getting harder and harder to roll with it while also hearing him sigh and grunt in pain. His voice itself sounded so different from the usual. When his phone rang, he had half a mind to walk out of the room, because he had certainly kept Gladio awake for long enough, but it was Aranea's ringtone.

"Hey."

"You're with him?" Aranea asked without even a greeting.

He could hear a baby crying in the background and his heart shifted.

"Yeah."

"Put your phone on speaker," the dragoon ordered.

Ignis did as told and the baby cries were all over the room an instant later. Gladiolus turned perfectly silent and still, his eyes blinking only once.

"Is that…?"

"Gladio?" Crowe tried to control her voice, but she sounded hoarse and exhausted.

"Hey, thermite," he croaked. Ignis brought the phone closer to him, while hopping he wouldn't hit anything in his gesture. "Is that our little phoenix I hear?"

"That's her alright. We're both going to get acquainted to our separate selves. I might be a bit off. I've been working for 19 hours straight."

"You've slacked on your… training, Glaivy."

"I wish you could see her. She's perfect."

Gladio let out a shuddering moan of pain and Ignis could tell he was raising one hand, only to drop it back by his side.

"I'm so sorry, Crowe."

"Shhhh. You can hear her. You'll see her in no time."

For a few seconds, both men remained silent, listening to the sounds coming amidst the static.

"She sounds beautiful," Gladio whispered.

…

Ignis and Aranea grabbed lunch on their way home, on Aranea's insistence. They found Prompto trying to calm down one hungry Amadeus, the boy's mother picking him up from his sitter's arms and setting herself for one of her comatose nursing sessions. She forgot to cover herself and Prompto barely noticed, just as tired as them.

"Go home and grab more rest," Ignis suggested.

They would head back to the hospital in turns until Crowe and her baby could leave. Aranea had already proposed they let Crowe temporarily move in with them. Ignis was trying not to worry too much about a community life or the organization this would take. Their two room apartment was much too small, and he wasn't quite used to Gladio's place, but he wasn't going to let his unease prevent him from helping his friend's family.

His shoulders slumped down when he locked the door behind Prompto, the weight of the recent events finally hitting him with full force. He hated being helpless and while he could basically rule over Lestallum as though he was Noctis's stand-in, he couldn't…

" _His state is still critical," the doctor had warned him as he'd been preparing to leave the hospital. "We'll watch his vitals closely."_

"Iggy?" Aranea asked, her voice snapping him back to reality. "You need sleep."

"I'll grab a shower first," he decided, pushing himself forward, his back staying against the door a second too long as his legs got into motion.

"Don't fall asleep in it."

"Make sure you leave some place in that bed."

The words were casual, familiar, but his voice quivered. She walked up to him and pulled him to a stop.

"Ignis…"

He was blinking tears from his left eye when her hands touched him and all pretense of standing strong vanished from him when she whimpered a "I was terrified too." He'd nearly lost two of his best friends, Gladio wasn't out of the woods yet and his thoughts were turning dark.

 _It could be her, it could have been her, I might not even get to hold her body if she dies out on one of her missions._

"How am I supposed to tell Noctis I couldn't keep us alive while he was gone?"

 _How can I protect my son if I can't…?_

"Ignis, no one's dead," Aranea reminded him.

" _He_ 's dead. He's already dead and I know it and now…"

"Slow down. Who are we talking about?"

He started shaking as the awful vision came back to him. Why did that have to be the last thing he'd seen? Why such despair before his entire world faded to darkness? Noctis would be King, he'd succeed… at the price of his life. How he wanted to choke on the words!

"Noct…" he managed against the crook of her neck, folding himself over her as though she could hide his entire frame.

"Ignis…"

"I saw it. They showed me how things would go down so I know… He'll come back one day and he'll die fulfilling his duty… All I did was buy him the time to get ready."

Aranea couldn't believe her ears and stroked his hair as his voice broke into sobs that wracked him from head to toe. She'd comforted him before, but right now, she felt as though he was going to shatter between her arms. She wanted to shake the very fears out of him, to rip away the pain and calm him down, but he'd been holding it in for too long. When she whispered his name again, he howled against her chest, curling up on himself, his hands almost pushing her away only to immediately change their mind and hold on to her.

"I can't lose him again. I can't lose any of them."

"They're not lo…"

This time, he pulled back, looking every bit like a wounded animal, chest heaving and his pale eyes desperately trying to find hers. When he became overly emotional, he seemed to regress back in the first days of his handicap, when he needed to be led around by the hand like a child.

"I'm not crazy, Aranea!"

"I never said…!"

"It was the last thing they let me see," he insisted. "I didn't want to know, but when I wore that blasted ring, they gave me a glimpse of the future so I wouldn't… His father told me to lead him down that path and I might very well lead all of Eos to its doom while we wait for Noctis to come back…" he finished, pulling on his hair in desperation.

It was impossible to dismiss his claim further with the certainty in his voice and she wanted nothing but to hold him, but the space between them felt like a ravine. He would back away at the smallest step she took, muttering apologies for depriving her of sleep when she wanted to tell him he was being ridiculous.

"You have a right to be in pain over this!"

The ruckus finally woke Amadeus from his slumber, the baby crying over Ignis's reply, taking his parents by surprise. Ignis's face crumbled even more and Aranea was torn between the two men of her life.

"I'm really the worst."

"I forbid you from saying that," Aranea warned, walking up to the crib to pick up their son. "Madeus is just worried about his daddy, aren't you, little warrior?"

Ignis tired to contain himself even though more sobs wanted to come out. If he didn't calm down… He could barely hear anything but Amadeus's hiccups and the thundering beat of his own heart. When he felt little hands on his face, he gasped, his arms instinctively reaching up to hold the baby Aranea was offering him.

"He loves you," she reminded her partner. "And like me, he hates to see you hurting."

The advisor hiccupped on a shuddering chuckle and held his son to his heart, stroking his short her, letting out a jumble of apologies. The warmth from the little boy soothed him and Aranea had him sit down on the floor, one hand on the back of their baby, the other one cupping his face.

"I don't want to be like this," Ignis apologized once more. "I should know what I'm doing…"

"Not always, Ignis. You're human. And if you had to carry this knowledge with you for this long…"

"I can't tell Prompto or Gladio. Aranea, you can't… Could you please not let them know either?"

She agreed, stroking his hair and bending her neck to lay a butterfly kiss on the star-shaped scar on his eye. Ignis calmed down slowly, under her gentle touch and thanks to the presence of Amadeus. Their boy had a few more hiccups, a remnant of his own tears and the manifestation of Ignis's remaining pain. Only when his breathing was back to normal did Ignis fully relaxed, his throat sore and too tight, but his heart lighter from sharing this heavy weight with someone.

"Feeling better?"

"Yeah…"

"Good. I think I'm the one who needs your shoulder now," Aranea confessed.

"My dear love…"

They helped each other up and gently laid Amadeus back in his crib, holding hands as soon as they could. Ignis was still trembling a bit and he realized his dragoon was shaking too.

"Seeing Crowe like this, forced to face… I couldn't help putting myself in her shoes and imagining you in that operating room."

"We're…"

"It's always dark out, Iggy. You're telling me the sun won't come back unless you lose your dearest friend. And until then, I'm trying to hold you together so you can hold this city together. It gets heavy for me too."

He sighed, pulling her closer, whispering his gratitude in between the gentle kisses he gave her. The taste of her tears on his lips was bittersweet, but she simply needed his arms and the knowledge she could lean back on him, unlike Crowe who had to hope her man would get back to his feet soon, if at all.

They fell asleep in each other's arms, unable to remember the last words they exchanged. And it slowly became their new normal.

…

After a week of running around to assist Crowe, Ignis trying to keep up with his job while Aranea basically took care of two babies and one adult woman, the pair needed a reprieve. They had planned their Friday night for the past 48 hours, Aranea sending naughty messages to Ignis with their coded warning for such, "Are we out of beetroot?" so he would take those messages in private. The dragoon couldn't stand beetroot and as such, Ignis never cooked with it. Aranea had never been shy and she'd experienced the results of taunting his attention with a decent number of messages in the same day. At first, Ignis had been reluctant to play that game with her, but like for almost everything else, she'd won that battle.

"It's really not fair getting me worked up at ten am," Ignis warned her, giving her a call on his first break.

"You know I'm worth the wait, pretty stranger."

"You'd better be, because I'm going to keep you up all night."

"Promises," she teased him, although they both knew they'd need sleep at some point. Amadeus was close to teething and with all the trips to the hospital for Gladio, they needed all the rest they could have.

Ignis was still welcomed home by the longest kiss they'd shared in a while and barely had the notion to kick the door closed behind him, asserting that Amadeus was safely sitting in his crib before pushing his mother against a wall to shower her in kisses.

"Did you miss me?"

"I missed you for the past 10 hours… and way more than you can conceive."

Their stomach grumbling halted their embrace for dinner and then it was interrupted by nursing and it took a good three hours before Amadeus agreed to sleep. Aranea had spent her day cleaning up their apartment, preparing food for the next week so Crowe would be fed and could focus on Victoria and her own health. Ignis had presided over three sessions with the city council and gone through 15 reports on the current unrest in Lestallum. They both needed to share some comfort and kept making passes at each other until they couldn't finally sneak to their bed and disrobe one another. Aranea missed his belt buckle and denied stroking him through the fabric on purpose, while he couldn't decide if he wanted to kiss her neck, her back or keep making out with her for a little longer.

"You smell different."

"We went to the market for lunch. Your son picked up an overripe fruit and squashed it in my hair."

"He really takes after his mother," Ignis smiled and it was so endearing she could have melted right there.

Their following kiss was lazy and as they parted for air, they couldn't help a yawn that made their eyes widen.

"I'm just tired," she instantly tried reassuring him.

"Me too. Come closer."

She smiled into the kiss, her eyes falling closed for longer this time. They had been running all over the place for a while and ended up passing out in each other arms before attaining any semblance of comfort sex. When a hungry Amadeus woke them up, Aranea simply encouraged Ignis of going back to bed, snuggling with him after feeding their baby. In the morning she teased him over this missed opportunity, to which he teased her right back.

The real laugh was when they received a package with marinated beetroots and one picture attached to a jar. Aranea was hysterical and Ignis had to wait a good five minutes before she could explain what was going on.

"It's Prompto… in nothing but a banana hammock!" she managed, laughing even more.

There was a buzz on Ignis's phone, and he heard the message from the robotic voice reading his texts:

"Beetroots guys? You can do much sexier than beetroot. Spice up your life!"

Ignis remembered lending his phone to Prompto for a quick call since the gunman had put his own phone through the wash. The thing had still been in rice this afternoon.

"He must have checked through your messages for kicks," Aranea declared, still laughing.

"But I always delete those…"

"You might have forgotten one. I have plenty of blackmail material on Prompto, don't worry. Just this picture, for exemple!"

Ignis agreed to laugh it off, seeing as she wasn't upset. He still had her promise to refrain from sending three naughty messages in the same day in the future.

To be continued…

So, this is turning out to be a much longer fic than I had first wanted to. Blame my mind being too inspired and my heart loving these characters too much. I want Victoria and Amadeus to play together and their respective father to fret about them endlessly. You know reviews make me immensely happy 😊


	6. Chapter 6

A new chapter! This one was pretty advanced already, I just needed to get the smut part of it out. So we get an update on Crowe and Gladio situation and some ignea smut afterwards. Enjoy!

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Web of the heart

Chapter 6 – Post partum

Victoria was a nervous baby, but Ignis didn't blame her. He was a grumpy, stuck up cripple acting as city mayor to reenact his old fantasies according to the newspaper… and that most certainly made him very unqualified as a babysitter.

He had taken a few days off from the council in the hopes he could focus on Aranea for her upcoming birthday, but it had turned into taking over for her at Gladio's place and he was now struggling with the baby girl he couldn't see -but he could smell her. Gods, one thing he could do without when dealing with baby poop was his increased sense of smell. He'd wiped her and felt a warm trickle. It had happened with Amadeus once, but he hadn't expected such a thing around Victoria.

"How can she even…?!"

"Oh lords, I'm sorry, Ig, here, I'll clean her up, you can… just grab some of Gladiolus's clothes, I'll take care of that shirt for you," Crowe offered, feeling bad for him.

There was a very light quiver to her voice and Ignis knew from the sound of her walk she was limping. Gladio had gotten back home recently but was on bedrest, barely able to move around at all. The heat wasn't helping him and looking after both her man and their child was taking a toll on the former glaive. She'd tripped in the stairs and sprained her hip badly since she'd been holding Victoria and contorted herself to avoid hurting her daughter.

"It's fine, stuff like this happens," the former advisor told her.

"What did I miss?" Gladio called from the couch where he'd taken residence. It was more simple for Crowe to keep an eye on him that way, she'd moved the nursery into the common area of their two bedroom apartment.

"I'm part of Victoria's territory now," Ignis explained.

"Damn, too bad I wasn't holding my phone to snap a picture."

It sounded like the King's Shield wasn't too groggy on drugs this time. Ignis had visited him twice since he'd moved back in his place, and had barely been able to partake in an actual conversation.

"Be helpful and tell me where your closest pile of clothes is," the advisor asked.

"At six hour. Wait, my six."

"Gladio…"

"Start by washing up in the bathroom," the giant offered, sounding sheepish. "Second door on your left. Your left, not mine this time!"

Ignis granted him a smile at that, suspecting how helpless the man felt. Moving around blind was still better than remaining confined in a single place. Cleaning up in an unfamiliar bathroom was sub-optimal, but Ignis knew he had better channel his _supposed stuck-upness_ into something productive, because Aranea was worried for their friends and slowly becoming overwhelmed with everything they needed to do to keep Lestallum safe for their children. Victoria was merely two months old and Amadeus had reached six months. The boy still needed his mother very much, Aranea wishing to keep on nursing him, but Cor was insisting he needed her back on the field leading hunters.

For now, she had accepted to take the shortest missions available, never leaving for more than one day and Ignis had yet to grow accustomed to the idea he would come home to an empty house one day out of three. Amadeus was either babysat by Iris or Crowe, Iris usually taking the boy over to Gladio's apartment so she could look both after him and Victoria to relieve Crowe from her new role as a mother.

It was one of those days and Amadeus was out on a stroll with his auntie Iris, who had recovered quite well from her injuries despite how grave they'd appeared to be at first. She wouldn't be able to get back on the field for some time, but she was perfectly fit to beat up thieves on the street and had gone as far as arresting three of them with baby Amadeus still in his baby wrap.

All in all, Ignis felt ready to keep the boy with him at all times to make sure he wouldn't be exposed to more excitement and danger than he needed, but Aranea had forbidden him to do so. She had still given Iris a piece of her mind about prioritizing the wrong things when she had a child in her care. Lestallum had elected new laws regarding crimes, Ignis agreeing to death sentences by exile.

He was still worried about what Noctis would think about this, but he'd rather keep as many people alive as he could until then.

"Doing okay in there?" Gladio called to him.

Ignis realized he'd throw down a bottle of something that smelled a little like mouthwash. Hopefully, it hadn't opened up and… His shoes slipped a little on the floor and he mentally slapped himself for not being more careful. He'd gotten so lost in thought as he was fumbling for some soap…

Now that he focused, he realized he'd been tuning out Victoria's crying.

"Dandy," he shot back, heaving a sigh as Gladio's laugh shifted into a pained whine.

 _Clean up fast and get back in there to actually help,_ he told himself.

Crowe had laid Victoria on her father's chest for a small reprieve, knowing the girl calmed down whenever she came in contact with the man. Gladiolus didn't know if he should be proud or sorry for his partner, since he wasn't even trying to be calming, his booming voice shifting to a whisper was still the best lullaby to soothe their daughter when nothing else seemed to be working.

"Hopefully, she's kind enough not to pee on papa," Crowe sighed.

"The last time was just to see how I'd react, right, Vic?"

Gladio stroked her head, Ignis almost hearing the cuteness just from the second sigh Crowe let out.

"Is there anything else I can do for you two?" the advisor asked softly.

If he had seen the sight of the tiny daughter snuggling to her dad, he might have melted, but imagining it was enough to make him miss Amadeus and worry a little more about him.

"I… Would you mind helping me with starting dinner? I could use to sit for just a bit more."

Crowe sounded so apologetic, Ignis wished he could take away the fatigue that was most certainly showing on his face. Long gone was the time when he could pretend he was fully functional with only a few hours of sleep at night.

"Of course. Anything planned?"

"Why don't you surprise us, Ig? I think we have enough for you to take a couple of servings back home afterwards," Gladiolus offered.

Ignis agreed, setting out in a territory he knew a little more than the bathroom or the living room of this apartment. Crowe hurried after him a few minutes later, but he forced her to sit back down at the kitchen's table so she could give him directions and at least rest. He knew Aranea did this whenever she had the day off, in between doing their laundry, cooking left-overs for their friends and playing with Madeus the rest of the time.

His phone buzzed in his pocket and the robotic voice read a message from Iris.

" _Madeus loved the park! We're stopping at my place so I can give him a bath and then I'll bring him over. Let me know where you'll be."_

"Should she really be moving that much…?" he wondered out loud.

"Just try and stop her," Crowe whispered to him.

The smile in her voice was comforting, because Aranea kept on telling him how gloomy the brunette was lately. They were both afraid she was running herself ragged.

"Spices?" he asked her.

Silence was his answer at first, Crowe heaving a gasp that sounded strangely like a sob.

"We're out. I knew I was forgetting something, but we're all out of spices!"

"Whoa, easy now, that's nothing to get this worked up about…"

She tried to muster a few words to defend herself, but the only thing that came out were tears and Gladio's worried voice soon asked what was going on.

"This damn place is too small," Crowe chided herself, pinching at her cheeks and slapping her face lightly in the hopes it would stop her crying.

"Thermite?"

Gladio had to know this was rough on his girlfriend, but Ignis still felt stuck between a rock and a hard place as he wondered who he should turn to first in such a situation.

He couldn't look into Crowe's eyes, but he heard her plea to stay silent in the tightening of her whimpers.

"Onions?" came his weak suggestion.

"Thank you," she managed, picking herself back up enough to answer Gladio. "I'm alright babe."

The rest of his visit was a challenge for his nerves and he was very happy to leave with his son in his arms, the boy bubbling and cooing as soon as he spotted his tall father. The trek back to their own flat was punctuated by a few greetings, the people of the neighborhood learning to recognize Ignis quite easily.

"The boy's growing fast, isn't he?" a lady congratulated him.

"It's really amazing how he always knows where he's going," a child's voice whispered to his mother, the woman shushing him for speaking too loudly and Ignis couldn't help hoping Madeus would be amazed at him like that. He didn't need it to last long, but wanting just a tiny recognition for his efforts barely felt wrong to him in such a scenario.

"How's Gladio doing? Getting back to patrolling any time soon?" a young soldier inquired with a polite tone.

Ignis didn't like to give answers on the fly, but he wanted to be home by the time Aranea would come back. She had been away on a two day mission, too far for texts to reach and he missed her awfully. Amadeus had cried a good two hours after she'd left and getting him to sleep at night without his mother around to kiss his tears dry had been an ordeal. Ignis knew the boy needed a nap just from the way he was whining and refusing to eat once they got home.

"Don't be difficult, Madeus, it's not every day I can get my hands on sweet potatoes," Ignis told him.

Mashed sweet potatoes hit him in the eye and Ignis held back an exasperated sigh aimed at himself for removing his visor. He needed the protection of the shaded glasses when outside, but he didn't want to be a strange, visor face to his son. Grabbing Amadeus's small hands with his, Ignis made sure no more food would be hurled around, lifting the boy from his highchair to balance him on his right hip.

Sweet potatoes would be mashed against his shirt, but he didn't mind much about it, worrying more about the light whines Amadeus made.

He felt wet tears on his thumbs, surmising they were rolling down the toddler's face.

"If you're this silent, your father can't know what's wrong, son," he deplored, ruffling the boy's hair.

"Daaaaa! Daaa-daaaa…"

Ignis had heard that sound before, but it still pulled at his heartstrings.

"I miss her too, Madeus. Let's try out some fruit before we wash up, shall we?"

Blueberries were always a big win with the baby, Ignis cleaning him up thoroughly but throwing his dress shirt in the laundry hamper without much care. He had no casual clothes and since he couldn't see the stains, he'd grown into the habit of pretending they didn't exist.

The boy in his arms was warm, dozing off a little more after his bath, his nose poking at Ignis's collarbone.

"Aunt Iris had you going to too many places once more, didn't she?"

The advisor drew gentle circles across his back, sitting down on the couch to snuggle with his son. He hummed the lullaby Aranea would usually sing for Amadeus with his own little alteration, shifting the refrain into one of his favorite classical song. And the boy's breathing slowed to a lilting snore that might have been one of the cutest sounds Ignis knew.

 _We'll stay like this for just a little longer and then, you're going in the crib_ , he thought.

But his own fatigue was catching up to him and he couldn't remember what he'd done next, only that he drifted to blissful sleep for a little while. What woke him up were the gentle hands on his chest, and the pleasant weight of strong legs sitting on top of his. He blinked, the scarred skin of his melted eyelid pulling a little as realization hit him.

"Amadeus…!" he gasped.

"He was safe and sound in his crib when I arrived," the dragoon reassured him. "Even as tired as you must have been, it's always safety first. Your neck must ache an awful lot after sleeping sitting up like that," Aranea teased him.

Ignis had to admit, his joints were sore, but he focused on her instead of himself, his hands finding her waist and immediately brushed her exposed skin as he realized she'd slipped on a crop top. She had one or two only, and kept them for extra lazy and warm days, and it appeared to be one of those days…

"You know," Aranea started, her hands roaming his chest and shoulders, "my heart melted a little finding you two like that."

"Took a picture with your heart?"

It was an expression they'd started using after getting particularly mushy about his cecity and the fact he was missing so much of the cuteness their son was.

"I did. Now I need one with my hands," she told him, rolling her hips as though he needed any clarification.

"I'll be happy to help in this endeavor," Ignis smiled at her, that full-of-himself smile that had her rolling her eyes and wanting to kiss him senseless at the same time. "But first, I need to know how everything went out there."

His hand traced the curve of her neck to palm her cheek, his thumb brushing away messy locks of silver hair and she sighed against his touch, holding his hand to her.

"Our mission was a success and I come back to you bearing no new scars."

"What's all that flourish in your speech, my love? Did you miss me so badly you needed a little reminder of me?"

She slapped his chest lightly at that, giggling despite her best try at remaining serious.

"I'm trying to talk properly around the baby, that's all!"

Said baby was sleeping soundly in his crib and his parents wondered how long that miracle could stay that way.

"I've been missing you, lady A. And all your improper talk," Ignis surprised her, tugging at her shirt to have her lean closer to him, his hand guiding her face to his.

His lips had their way with hers, Aranea yearning with a soft moan as he held her closer, his fingers pushing her shirt up and untying her bra at the same time. Oh, her Iggy was ready to welcome her. Her own hands drew shivers down his abs, hooking in the waist band of his pants as she shifted over him, a whine of pain forcing them apart when his fingers brushed a large bump on her right shoulder blade. He'd felt enough wounds in the past few years to know this was a nasty bruise, hissing at the thought he'd added to her pain.

"What the hell happened to you?"

"Shush now, it was one tiny Cerberus," she dismissed his concerns.

"Aranea…"

"Get off my back and down on yours, Iggy! We don't know how long the baby will sleep and I need this."

The urge in her voice awoke a ripple deep in his core, Ignis holding her with more care than before as she stole his lips for even more heated kisses.

It had been mere days apart, but somehow, it felt much longer than that. Even with his heightened senses, Ignis had the impression he couldn't understand everything around him as well without Aranea around. Knowing he couldn't hear her voice when he'd get back home made everything duller.

Like she was his only way to find any color in the dark. Her scent on the pillow that barely lingered after the first day apart, the way her breathing slowed when she started dozing off while nursing. The very taste of her kiss was more vivid than his favorite coffee.

He would have voiced that thought if she'd let him breathe, but Aranea was fiercer than normal. Which made him a little more eager. Careful of her bruised shoulders, he pressed her closer to him, a muffled groan escaping his throat at the delicious friction.

"You need to tell me where I can… touch…" he managed.

Her laugh was music to his ears, Aranea sighing roughly as she guided his right hand to the zipper of her jeans.

"That answers your question?" she whispered to him.

He nodded, his blind eye stuck to her, hopefully looking her in the eyes and not staring at her forehead or nose. He helped her out of her pants, huffing as she laid her full weight on his chest for the brief moment it took to shrug off the clingy fabric. The dragoon apologized with a dozen more kisses, moaning softly as they parted once more.

"Should we move to the bed, love?"

"As comfortable as it sounds…"

He wanted to agree to her urge, but it seemed wrong at the same time.

"I can walk with you wrapped all over me," he offered.

"But can you get up with me already wrapped over you like… this?"

He couldn't help a grunt as she pressed herself into him, giving him just enough friction.

"Shall we put it to the test?"

Her hands gripped his shoulders in surprise as he pushed himself to his feet, holding her in place.

"I was kidding, Iggy!" she protested as loudly as she dared considering they had a sleeping baby in the next room.

"Let me welcome my warrior lady properly," he huffed against her neck, leaning backward to balance her better.

She followed the motion, heaving a needy whine as she realized it was pretty much impossible for her to take off any of his clothes this way. Instead she ran her fingers along his scalp, brushing her nose against his playfully and smiling into the rough kisses he placed along her neck and collarbone. It was a woobly trip across the room and as they reached the bed Ignis repositioned her, squeezing her ass in a very ungentlemanly manner.

"Oh, you really missed me," she purred.

"Always. Were you serious when you said you wanted me on my back?"

"Did you hurt yourself carrying me over here?" she teased him back.

"I don't want to hurt you with all those bruises."

"Noble man. Admit you want to be spoiled."

He chuckled, taking it as a yes and plopped himself backward into the mattress, his hands strong on her waist to make sure their heads wouldn't bump. Aranea leaned her full weight on him, appreciatively stroking his sides, her eyes so insistant, he could nearly hear her staring.

"Do I look weird?" he ended up asking after waiting for a gesture or a sound from her for a little while.

"It's just very… very strange sometimes to realize I have such an amazing guy waiting for me… And he's got blueberry juice on him," she added, letting out a laugh as she brushed off that spot.

"I might need help with the laundry tomorrow," he observed, rolling his shoulders backward. "Are you tired? You must be tired."

"I didn't mean to kill the mood now, Iggy, focus on my voice," she asked him, letting out one of that nice little moans he could barely handle.

Her hands moved again, undoing his belt as her lips found his, soft and rough and hasty but slow. She cursed against his dress pants, wishing he would allow himself the occasional comfortable clothes as one of her nail got stuck in a pulled thread, but she still got him out of both his pants and his boxers, a triumphant sound ringing up her throat.

"Like my clothes are that complicated," he rolled his eyes at her, his hands fondling her curves, tracing a path of shivers up her ribs in light touches that shifted to possessive as Aranea brushed her knee along the length of his cock.

"I know I mentioned spoiling, but I… I want you right now," she whispered.

"You can do whatever you want to me, Aranea…!"

He hadn't expected her to move onto him that fast, but when the dragoon was eager, she wasn't kidding. And impatient!

"Good gods, Aranea, don't…! I won't last," he protested as she grinded into him, one hand on his abs and the other one teasing his balls and the very root of his erection, so she could keep inside despite her rough movements.

The tenderness was gone, carnal desire saturating the air between them, tiny gasps of pain and pleasure escaping her tight chest as she hurried her pace. Sometimes she needed it quick and dirty and she knew Ignis was still adapting to that side of her. Right now, his hands were on her thighs, his hips bucking up uncontrollably as he accepted to give into the rhythm she dictated. Her breathing was coming out rough and she wasn't sure if he was even breathing. His eye was unfocused and the lights from the city were throwing a strange kaleidoscope of colors over him.

"Give it to me," she heard herself saying.

He quivered, biting on his lower lip as he fought against the growing ache of bliss.

"We're not…"

She'd forgone protection and he was trying to remember what the doctors had said about a second pregnancy, even though they hadn't really talked about it. It was hard to recall any concrete thoughts, not when her nails dug into his stomach and her flesh felt so welcoming around him. Her muscles clenched and he knew she was doing it on purpose but he still moaned into his wrists, blasting how hypersensitive he felt while also thanking the gods.

"It's okay, Ig, I want it."

He couldn't picture the look on her face, though he wanted to. He'd never seen her expression when lust and ecstasy melted, a part of his brain had been counting the seconds and he knew this was too soon for her, she was barely on the verge of pleasure and with her bruises and current fatigue…

"Aranea…," he pleaded.

"It's okay. I want you to feel it."

The desperation was back in her voice and it scared him, but then she shifted and the angle brought him deeper and it was over, his body finding release, Aranea grunting with approval. They hadn't done it raw in forever and that level of intimacy was something she'd never wanted unless shit-faced. Or deeply, deeply head over heels with this man.

Her motions slowed as she relished the warmth filling her, even though the building wave she'd been working on faded along with it. Her limbs felt sore and she wanted to whine and hide between his arms now, a fresh gasp coming up as she saw the look on his face.

"Don't undo me like that."

Pride filled her heart at that and it was still a funny feeling to this day. To think she could make a mess out of this proper, proper man.

"I like it. Raw you. Real you," she sighed, cupping his face in one hand.

"And spent. This isn't fair at all and I won't stand for it," he said, his voice remaining playful despite the complaint.

"Oh really?"

"Really. Could you move up here?"

She frowned at that, refusing to budge as his hands tugged on her hips. He licked his lips, deliberately slow, giving her that once-over look he'd studied hard since becoming blind and the lightest fire sparkled in her lower stomach as she realized what his intent was.

"My hips are killing me."

"I'll make it worth it," he promised.

Her insides literally quivered in anticipation, even though a part of her worried this position would turn out too embarrassing, she agreed with one slow, heated kiss on his eager mouth.

"Know I have high expectations now," she teased.

His cocky smile made her blush despite everything they'd already shared and she awkwardly shifted forward, moaning as he raised himself up to kiss her right knee and thigh welcome. She felt herself turning bright red as he suggested she'd slip her lower legs beneath his shoulders. Oh, he wanted her to straddle his head alright. Her hands reached for the headboard as he exhaled a breath against her folds, one arm wrapping around her rear, the other one settling on her spine.

"I can't see you," she noted.

"Sounds fair to me, m'lady," he declared, his lips brushing against her, his words soon replaced by his tongue.

Ravishing was far from it, as Aranea wondered how he could still strip away each and every of her aching nerves. He tasted her like she was made out of sweet, lapping and licking and teasing, his nose pushing against her, his hands even greedier on her as she struggled not to just ride his face wildly.

"Ig…"

Muffled sounds spoken against her flesh awoke the first orgasm, Iggy keeping his pace to have her through a second one, his fingers joining the dance of pleasures in the way he knew made her breathless.

"Don't make me scream, anything, but don't make me…!"

A third wave of pure bliss rose, higher than its predecessors and she tried to push herself up, her hips moving on their own, the fire he'd lit up within her bursting. She could feel his hair brushing against her lower stomach, his every breath and whimpered as the delight took over, all her senses focusing on the bundle of nerves he was unlocking as he pleased.

"Fuck!"

It wasn't loud, but it was raw and just what Ignis had been aiming for. At this point, she was sitting on his collarbone and the pressure was a little much, he would rather have her lying fully on him, he was half hard again just from hearing her and tasting both of them on her skin, but he eased her down the wave, until she pleaded for a respite and he let go, even more breathless than before.

"Good lords, Ignis," she sighed, rolling on her back next to him.

"That was delicious," came his reply, which would normally earn himself a slap, but she felt too spent to raise one arm.

"You're a cocky bastard sometimes."

"Now that's a new one," he smiled, rolling on his side to shift closer to her. She still had a tank top on and he wanted to complain, but instead, he leaned his head down, kissing the hollow of her neck, her collarbone and that spot between her breasts, even though fabric was in the way.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I missed you. I really did," he sighed, laying his head on the top of her chest so he could just focus on her warmth and the steady beat of her heart. "Waiting is… Waiting for you to come back home wrecks me," he confessed.

"Awe, Iggy. It's already hard to leave my baby behind…"

"I know. He missed you too."

"My little man and my big man," she managed despite the tiny knot building up in her throat.

To his surprise, he heard her sniffle.

"What's wrong?"

"While I was gone, you know what my nightmares were? Not daemons or the empire. But to wake up in the morning to realize that all we have together…. Amadeus, you, our family, our friends… That it was all a dream I made up."

"Don't say that. How real must I get to convince you?" he joked, sneaking one hand down her stomach which she caught midway, pleading for mercy.

"I know you're real. I just need to remind that silly nif girl sometimes that it's her life now. And that our world will have peace by the time our boy has grown up to be a man."

Ignis hugged her closer, relishing the feel of her hand in his hair. He would never see Amadeus growing, but when he thought of the prospect of having talks with him and teaching him all that he could. The future didn't look so bad anymore.

To be continued…

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So this chapter was supposed to be depressing and turned out into a smut fest I guess. I hope you like it 😊


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